WCC NEWS: Conference to look at Christian faith in Palestine and the Middle East today

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World Council of Churches - News

CONFERENCE TO LOOK AT CHRISTIAN FAITH IN PALESTINE AND THE MIDDLE EAST
TODAY

For immediate release: 16 June 2011

The volatile and precarious situation of Christians in the Middle East
was of deep concern to the members of the February 2011 meeting of the
World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee, and it will be
highlighted in an upcoming conference on Christians in the Middle East to
be held in Greece.

With the diminishing presence of Christians in the region, the central
committee said in a public statement (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=d99228d003176143863b
) in February, the “conviviality among peoples from different faiths,
cultures, civilizations, which is a sign of God’s love for all humanity,
will be endangered.”

The central committee also called for a major conference on this issue for
2012.  One part of this effort is an upcoming conference in Volos, Greece,
from 20 to 22 June to explore the situation from a theological,
ecumenical, cultural and political perspective.

The reality for the Christian community in the Middle East is quite stark
as more and more stories in the public media tell of Christians fleeing
the region or feeling increasingly threatened, even in the context of the
recent democracy movements.

In Iraq alone the Christian population has declined by nearly half during
the past decade. In Egypt, there has been heightened violence between
Muslims and Christians since the downfall of former president Mubarak.

And in Israel and Palestine, Palestinian Christians in the West Bank and
Gaza continue to live under the pressure and humiliation of the Gaza
blockade and Israeli occupation.

Christian churches in the Middle East have shown signs of decline despite
their continuous historical presence in different countries in the region
where many of them embody a heritage of ancient patriarchal jurisdictions.
This has become a growing concern as the churches there struggle to
maintain their presence and at the same time contribute to a culture of
peace.

The Volos conference is co-sponsored by the WCC and Volos Academy for
Theological Studies, which is a programme of the Holy  Metropolis of
Demetrias. Titled “Living Christian Faith in Palestine and the Middle
East Today: Theological and Political Challenges in Orthodox and
Ecumenical Perspectives”, its participants will explore the theological,
ecumenical and political perspectives of living as a Christian in the
Middle East.

A subsequent visit by the WCC youth body, Echos Commission, to Lebanon to
explore how Christian youth are dealing with the realities of the church
in the Middle East will take place in October. The WCC central committee
has recommended “convening an ecumenical international conference in
2012 to address the new challenges Christians are facing in the Middle
East, in collaboration with the churches in the region.”


The conference will be broadcast live (both in Greek and in English)
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=72ba570f7a4cfc0dbcfd )

More information about the programme of the conference (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=9abcdad37cd0e78a5c09
)

Churches in the Middle East: solidarity and witness for peace
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=455f1a09c8251dd7437e )

Volos Academy for Theological Studies (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=53993f75ba231f040c83 )


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.



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