wfn.org | Reconciliation in Israel/Palestine: Responsibility of all Three Religions

["Frank Imhoff" <franki@elca.org>]

Governments Urged To Stop Selling Conventional, Non-conventional Arms to
Middle East

10 - LWF COUNCIL MEETING, 12-19 JUNE 2001

GENEVA, 17 June 2001 (LWI) - The Lutheran bishop in Jerusalem, Munib A.
Younan urged leaders and adherents of the three monotheistic
religions-Christianity, Islam and Judaism-to assume their prophetic
responsibility and promote just peace and build reconciliation in Israel and
Palestine.

Delivering the Sunday worship sermon for the 2001 Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) Council meeting at the Ecumenical Center chapel here, the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ) bishop particularly called on churches
worldwide that are in solidarity with Palestinian Christians to assert their
visionary role to help bring to an end the spiral of violence that is
causing so much pain and suffering in Israel/Palestine.

Younan's sermon based on Matt. 16. 24-27, began with a reflection on the
theology of the martyria as a challenge for the Palestinian church. The
3,000-member ELCJ has congregations in Jerusalem, Jordan and Palestine.

Younan noted that the Israel/Palestinian conflict is not a religious but "a
political conflict." However, religion often has played a destructive role,
and the holy writings and scriptures have been used "and are still being
used" to justify political extremism or religious fanaticism as well as
injustice, occupation, killings and acts of violence, he said.

He challenged religious leaders and preachers to work against abuse of the
respective religions, and to recognize also that providing leadership
involves not only telling people what they like to hear but also "what they
need to hear." Time has come for Christians, Jews and Muslims to say a mea
culpa for the misdeeds of the past, acknowledge that "our call as religious
people is to see "God in the other" and to accept the humanity of the other.
He urged the church, synagogue and mosque as instruments for justice and
peace, to explicitly say "enough" to bloodshed, hatred, retaliation and
dehumanization.

To the worshippers, Younan spoke of the "boiling political atmosphere" in
Israel and Palestine that has led to innocent loss of life on both sides. He
recalled a recent visit to the ELCJ's Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah,
during which an eight-year-old girl apologized for her brother's absenteeism
in the kindergarten because "he was shot in his leg and arm, when he was
sitting on my father's lap at home."

For the sake of all children in the Holy Land, now traumatized by the
ongoing conflict, would genocide have to be witnessed before the "world's
conscience wakes up?" wondered the Lutheran bishop. The duty of the
churches, called to take an active part in rectifying the injustices of the
past and the present, is to urge their respective governments "to stop
selling conventional and non-conventional arms to the boiling Middle East."
These governments should be challenged to use this money to improve people's
living conditions and build a just peace in Israel and Palestine, he said.

It is important that the root cause of the long and painful tragedy in the
Holy Land is addressed, said the ELCJ bishop. The real conflict issues-the
right of refugees' return status of Jerusalem, settlements, land and
water-ought to be properly and justly resolved according to international
legitimacy as stipulated in United Nation resolutions 242, 338 and 194.
"Only then will a just peace emerge in the Middle East," he stressed. There
could be no peace without justice, similarly there would be no security for
the Israelis without the freedom of Palestinians.

God calls Palestinian Christian Lutherans together with other churches to be
salt in society and light in the prevailing situation in Israel/Palestine.
For Younan the churches are therefore "called to be" brokers of peace,
bridge builders between Israelis and Palestinians, apostles of love,
defenders of human rights for all people, initiators of dialogue between
Christians, Jews and Muslims, educators of just peace and ministers of
reconciliation in a world full of stigmatization, dehumanization and
demonization.

Younan expressed gratitude to churches that have maintained prayer vigils
for the ministry of the Church in the Holy Land and invited others to join
in this appeal. Emphasizing the inalienable power of prayer, he urged the
solidarity of churches to pray for just and lasting peace. He called for
prayers for the establishment of two independent states living side by side
equitably, justly and peacefully, with Jerusalem shared by the two nations
and three religions. He expressed hope that the Holy Land "may become a
promised land of milk and honey for both Palestinians and Israelis."

Worshippers mainly included participants in this year's Council meeting
among whom are representatives of the LWF member churches, ecumenical
guests, LWF staff, stewards, interpreters and press. The Council, composed
of a president and 48 members, is the LWF's governing body meeting annually
between meetings of the highest-decision-making body, the Assembly, every
six years. The more than 130 LWF member churches in 72 countries represent
over 60.2 million of the nearly 64 million Lutherans worldwide.

The Council had originally decided to hold its 2001 meeting in
Bethlehem/Jerusalem hosted by the ELCJ. Due to the conflict situation there
the venue had to be changed but the theme "The Church: Called to Ministry of
Reconciliation" proposed by the ELCJ was retained.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 131 member
churches in 72 countries representing over 60.2 million of the nearly 64
million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches
in areas of common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various
aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does
not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units.
Where the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the material
may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement.]

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