wfn.org | ELCA Presiding Bishop Comments on Middle East Matters in LWF Role

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 29, 2005

ELCA Presiding Bishop Comments on Middle East Matters in LWF Role
05-154-JB

     AMMAN, Jordan (ELCA) -- Following an Aug. 27 visit to one of
Jordan's holiest sites, Mt. Nebo, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson said
people of faith who visit the site on religious pilgrimages can
not only reflect on the past but who also look ahead to the
future and "envision a way that the people of these lands can
live together in peace with justice."
     Hanson commented on several Middle East topics at a news
conference here with Jordanian and Arab news organizations.  He
is here in his role as president of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) prior to this week's LWF Council meeting in Bethlehem, West
Bank.  Speaking at the news conference were Hanson, who also
serves as presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), Chicago; the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL),
Jerusalem, and LWF vice president; and the Rev. Ishamel Noko, LWF
general secretary, Geneva, Switzerland.
     Mt. Nebo, high above Jordan, offers a panoramic view of the
entire Middle East region.  It is described in the Bible as the
place where the prophet Moses saw the "promised land" but was
forbidden to enter it.	He is said to have died at or near Mt.
Nebo, where today there is a memorial to Moses that has been
excavated.
     Regarding his visit to Mt. Nebo, Hanson told reporters,
"Pilgrimages for me are not just stepping back into history, but
they're looking into God's future which is God's gift to all of
us.  It causes us to ask the question: 'How are we contributing
to the future for all of God's people?'  It was a very holy
moment for me, to stand on that place and envision what God would
want for God's people -- all of God's children -- which I believe
is to live on this land with peace and justice for all."
     Jordan's King Abdullah and the government are credited for
trying to seek peaceful solutions to the complexities of the
conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East.
The Lutheran leaders came here to show support for the ELCJHL and
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church here, and to meet with religious
and political leaders to hear and voice hopes for regional peace.
     "We came to Jordan first for encouragement, for a sense of
hope, and because of your strong leadership in this important
time in the world as we pray and work for a lasting peace in the
Middle East, believing that peace in the Middle East will be the
key to peace in the world," Hanson said.
     The Lutherans commented on the "Amman Message," a statement
issued by King Abdullah in November 2004.  In that message to the
world's Muslims, the king said he was determined "to ward off
Muslim marginalization and isolation in the global movement of
human society." He asserted that the world's 1.2 billion Muslims
should be "full partners in the development of human civilization
and in the progress of humanity in our age."
     Thankful for the Amman Message, Hanson said Christians
should join in it, "believing that together we can build a
lasting and secure peace in the Middle East and in the world."
     Hanson spoke to reporters of his involvement in an
interfaith initiative for peace in the Middle East.  The
initiative involves Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders in the
United States.	In 2003 the religious leaders unveiled a 12-point
plan addressing the governments of the United States and Israel,
and the Palestinian Authority.	The religious leaders called on
the governments to follow the "Road Map to Middle East Peace,"
endorsed by the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the
European Union.
     "We believe the United States must exercise a commitment to
the Road Map and must be a fair participant in a balanced process
of peace in the Middle East," Hanson told reporters.  He added
that he is "frustrated" with the United States for not taking a
more active role in contributing leadership to the Road Map.
     "The United States must exercise its power in a positive way
to encourage the Israeli government to find a lasting, secure
settlement of this conflict that is just and peaceful for the
Palestinian people, as well as for the nation of Israel," Hanson
said.
     The Lutheran leaders also commented on the State of Israel's
separation barrier, much of which has already been completed.
Israel maintains it needs the wall for its own security from
terrorism; Palestinians maintain the wall has unjustly disrupted
their lives, separating them from their families, property and
livelihoods. The LWF and the ELCA have both said construction of
the barrier must be stopped and dismantled where it is built on
land that has belonged to the Palestinians.
     Noko said one reason he considers the wall to be
"unacceptable" is that creates "enemy images.  We can't live in a
world that is saturated with enemy images," he said.  Noko said
the Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace, and both
should invest in security for their neighbors to have security
for themselves.
     "A decent society can never be constructed when we build
walls," Noko said. "We have to remember that these walls probably
do not start on the physical level.  They start in our hearts.
The walls that are in our hearts need to be broken."
     Hanson said the ELCA Churchwide Assembly this month endorsed
a campaign, "Peace Not Walls: Stand for Justice in the Holy
Land."	The campaign and an accompanying ELCA strategy for
engagement in the Middle East "is a strong condemnation of walls
that become barriers to peace," Hanson said. "(A) just and
lasting peace can only occur when there is justice and peace for
the Palestinian people ... and a secure Israel."
     When asked about the war in Iraq, Hanson reminded the
reporters he was one of the first U.S. religious leaders to speak
out against the war long before it started.  The LWF also spoke
against it, Noko said.
     Hanson said he was concerned that if the United States
remains in Iraq, imposing its will and extracting economic gain,
"then we have not honored the Iraqi people."  The Shiites, Sunnis
and Kurds must determine what will be a lasting peace in Iraq and
"must tell the United States when it is time to leave," he said.
     Hanson concluded by telling reporters he fears that
"religious extremists" dominate the news.  "We are here to show
another face of religion," he said.  "I believe unity is God's
gift and so is diversity."
     When the Lutheran leaders travel this week to Israel and the
West Bank for the LWF Council meeting, they plan to convey to
Israeli and Palestinian political leaders the Lutherans'
commitment to peace with justice.  They also hope to seek support
for Augusta Victoria Hospital, an LWF-operated health care
facility in East Jerusalem that serves mostly Palestinians.
     In 2002 the State of Israel took the LWF to court, seeking
to void a tax-exemption agreement between the LWF and Israel.
Israel won the case in a trial court; the LWF is appealing the
ruling.  If it stands the LWF could be held liable for hundreds
of thousands of dollars in employers' taxes, and payment would
financially threaten the hospital's future.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news