News,
articles and documents from the Holy Land
Issue No. 192 - Thursday, 20 February 2003
Dear Friends, Brothers
and Sisters,
I was busy this week preparing for the trip to France
I am undertaking tonight, therefore, I was not able to send you the Olive
Branch last Monday. I sent it today with the following documents to let you
know that I will be absent for 9 days and I am going to Avignon upon an
invitation from the “Secour Catholique” representing our “Caritas – Jerusalem”.
It will be very busy also, but I hope that I will be able to sensibly our dear French brothers and sisters to
come to the Holy Land and help us to overcome this difficult situation, because
I was always convinced that the presence of pilgrims in the Holy Places will
help both sides to calm down the conflict and go back to the peace process.
Everybody is praying for peace in the world, in the
Middle East and especially in Iraq these days, and here in Jerusalem there was
a service for peace and against war in Iraq which was attended by all the heads
of Churches in Jerusalem. You will find the sermon of Bishop Munib Younan and a
call for prayers against war on Iraq by the Committee of Palestinian and International
Christian Organizations.
You will find also two other documents:
1)
Dr. Maria Khoury sees
that we are preparing for war in the Holy Land, but in our own way!
2)
Dr. Harry Hagopian is
speaking about the “The Disappearing Horizon!”
And I think that we will find this horizon of peace
one day, but I hope that it will be very near without war because, war will
destroy all the horizons.
Please pray with us for this intention. Fr.
Raed Abusahlia.
SERMON
by
Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan
The Lutheran
Bishop in Jerusalem
for the
Prayer
Service Against War in Iraq
St.
Stephen’s Dominican Church
Jerusalem
Your Beatitudes,
Excellencies, Graces, Sisters and Brothers,
I was asked, “Why
does the Christian Church intervene in issues of justice and why does the
Church make prayers for peace and write statements and take attitudes for
peace? Doesn’t this mean
interference in politics? Isn’t
the role of the Christian Church to preach the gospel and hold prayers in the
churches?”
I was surprised
by these questions and felt obliged to answer, “How can the Christians sing
Gloria and Kyrie Eleison and at the same time close their eyes to human issues
pertinent to justice?”
The living
Christian Church is the Church that remains faithful to preach the gospel and
administer the sacraments, and at the same time carries a prophetic message to
the society and the world in which it lives. When the Christian Church fulfills the mandate of its divine
calling it helps in word and deed to create an environment conducive to peace. Through faithfulness in its life and
activities as a community for peace, the Church in the power of the Holy Spirit
becomes a presence for peace that serves, disturbs, reconciles and deliberates
for peace. Thus the Church becomes
the conscience of the world.
The Church is a disturbing
presence when it refuses to be silent and instead speaks the truth in times
when people shout out “Peace!
Peace!” but there is no peace.
Thus the prophetic Church always swims against the active wave of
injustice in our world.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
said: “It is part of the
Church’s office of guardianship that it should call sin by its name and that it
will warn men and women against sin; for righteousness exalteth a nation, both
in time and eternity. If the
Church does not do this it will be incurring part of the guilt for the blood of
the wicked. Only justice will save
the world and humanity from wars, calamities and bloodshed.” For this reason the prophetic
Christian Church proclaims Jesus’ words: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world
gives.” (John
14:27)
We are meeting
today in this church to pray and to raise our prophetic voice together. We meet as the living Churches in
Dear Sisters and
Brothers, the Christian Church with its four families – Eastern Orthodox,
Oriental Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical – is against any war because our
Church is the Church that is experiencing the meaning of war. We know the meaning of destruction,
death, oppression, injustice and even demolition of homes. It is a Church that suffers with all
its members in order that her suffering will become a witnessing voice for
justice, peace, truth and reconciliation.
We do not need
war, for the war is destruction that kills innocent people – children, women,
senior citizens – and it destroys the infrastructure of any country. But above all, war kills the humanity
of human beings and destroys the image of God in us. For this reason we say what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr,
said: “If we assume that life is
worth living and that human beings have a right to survival, then we must find
an alternative to war. In a day
when vehicles hurtle through outer space and guided ballistic missiles carve
highways of death through the stratosphere, no nation can claim victory in
war.”
We do not want
war because we believe that the political, peaceful means and efforts are not
yet fully explored. We believe
that God has given the 21st century human beings enough brains to
solve its crises and differences by the power of logics, not by the logics of
power.
We do not need
war in
Instead of
wasting the efforts and precious time of the politicians in planning for war
and destruction, they must rise up to their responsibilities and implement the
international legitimacy on all countries without exception. If the
international legitimacy is implemented, then justice will be implemented and
the nations in the
We do not want
war against
Dear Sisters and
Brothers, we would like to greet today all those who have a living conscience
and all who are working for peace – from governments and churches, and all
those representing the various religions. Your voice together is a voice that
warns the world of the consequences of war and calls for just peace in our
region. It’s a voice that is not
only appreciated but a voice that saves humanity from any destruction.
We ask you to
take seriously the words of the Prophet Micah. First Micah speaks of justice: “The Lord shall judge between many peoples, and shall
arbitrate between strong nations far away.” And then Micah speaks of changing destructive arms into
technological, constructive instruments:
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war any more.” (Micah
4:3)
Today we call
from
Dear Sisters and
Brothers, let us intensify our prayers today that God will prevent any war and
will guide the leaders of this world to behave in a responsible way to save
humanity. Let us pray together for
the leaders of the nations, that they may use their authority to implement
justice, peace, truth and reconciliation, remembering our Lord’s beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called children of God.”
(Matthew 5:9)
May the peace
that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our
Lord. Amen.
A Call for prayers against War on Iraq
An ominous cloud of war looms on the horizon despite the growing opposition of most of peoples of the world. As Palestinians and Christian organizations, we believe that God is a God of love and peace. We believe that war should never be an option, no matter what the justification. Wars have failed dismally to bring about a just and equitable solution to the illegal occupation of Palestine. On the contrary, the Israeli occupation continues to dispossess the Palestinian people of their land, deny them of their rights and aggravate their suffering and oppression.
WE therefore, call upon people everywhere to maximize their efforts to prevent a war on Iraq; a war which will have devastating consequences on all the peoples of the region, especially on women and children of Iraq, still suffering the results of the siege and deprivation imposed upon them since the Gulf war of 1991. The economic blockade has effected the death of over 1.5 million Iraqis according to the United Nations.
We call upon all brothers and sisters, the world over, to join us in our prayers and to do all they can to avert the impending catastrophe, so that a just peace may prevail in Iraq, in Palestine and all over the world. Recalling the words of our Lord “Blesses are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God”.
February 19th 2003. Committee of Palestinian and International Christian Organization
Preparing for War in the Holy
Land
By Maria C. Khoury, Ed. D.
While the
Israeli public is busy buying "duck tape" and purchasing water and
food supplies enough for at least three days, it is totally impossible for
Palestinians both Christian and Muslim to prepare for anything or even have gas
masks ready to save their lives as the Israeli civilians. We have lived in a war of terror into
the third year now with daily killings, political assassinations, medical
personnel shot dead on duty, homes being demolished, people being detained
without charges, home invasions, checkpoints, road blocks, closures, total
siege and a total devastation and destruction of the economy, education and
social life in general.
When Palestinian
families have suffered without jobs and trying to meet their daily needs where
in the world would anyone get enough money to stock up for a war? Some curfews or if you prefer the word
"house arrest" go over 21 days in our area and certainly families run
out of basic needs like bread, milk and
needed medicine when the army confines them to their homes. In
No reason to
write stories anymore because the world has forgotten that Israel continues to
deny Palestinians their human rights for over 55 years and not only refuse to
give them independence but the Israeli army makes their daily life so
miserable, so awful and full of struggle and agony that possibly they could
flee over the bridge into Jordan.
Thereby
Where is our
voice as Christians in this land?
Our roots were established by Christ Himself with the
As Christians we
do not only belong to this world alone but are called to seek God's
kingdom. I would suggest preparing
for war by fasting and praying.
Preparing for war might mean going to confession so that we can beg for
God's forgiveness and remission of sins.
As Christians we are sent on earth to give glory to God with every
breath that we take and to see God in others. Truly we must live each day as if it is the last day in our
life. While your government is
asking you to purchase certain items and be on a high alert also consider
seeking God's kingdom and flock the church to take communion. Christ died on the cross so that we may
have eternal life.
God gave us a
brain so we can think thus possibly stock up on some bread if we can afford it
but God also gave us a soul so that we may give glory to Him. "I am the bread of life; he that
cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth shall never
thirst." (John 6:35)
We are preparing
for war in the
Editor's
Note: Maria Khoury, author of
Christina Goes to Church seeks 12 parishes to sponsor twelve needy families in
the only all Christian village that is left in the
The Disappearing Horizon!
Dr Harry Hagopian, LL.D,
KOG-KSL
Not only has peace
disappeared from the horizon, but also the horizon itself has disappeared!
Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Papal Nuncio in Israel, made this distressing statement to Vatican Radio immediately after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s victory in the recent Israeli Knesset [parliamentary] elections. Stressing that the course of violence so far had failed to break the deadlock between the two parties, he reminded his listeners of the Pope’s rejoinder that the four pillars on which peace is based are truth, justice, love and liberty. This consummate politician and charismatic Christian leader also extolled the formidable fortitude and courage of those indigenous Christians who have opted to remain in the Holy Land rather than emigrate to foreign climes despite the hardships they face on a day-to-day basis.
So if the four pillars of peace are truth, justice, love and liberty, it seems to me that the edifice meant to sustain this future peace between Israelis and Palestinians is seriously at risk of irreversible damage. Another echo of this dismal but worrying reality was reverberated only ten days ago when the UK-based Christian Aid released a report entitled ‘Losing Ground: Israel, poverty and the Palestinians’ which described the accelerated slide into poverty today of Palestinians in the occupied territories. The report mentioned that 60% of Palestinians in the West Bank, and 80% in Gaza, are living in property. It added that the World Food Programme is providing food rations to approximately one million Palestinians - almost one in three of the overall population! In launching the report at the House of Lords [Upper House], the British Secretary of State for International Development Clare Short indicated that malnutrition levels in Gaza today are comparable to those in Zimbabwe and other deprived countries.
Why is this happening to Palestinians across their cities, towns and villages? What are its underlying structural and systemic causes, and can they be challenged so that poverty is eradicated from Palestinian society? Roger Riddell, International Director at Christian Aid, indicated recently that the report uses personal testimonies by Palestinians to highlight the levels of poverty and despair. Its four-pronged axis focuses on ‘the Israeli policy of closure and curfews which are tearing apart lives and communities, the direct and indirect effects of Israeli settlement policy, the loss of access and control of land and the management of water resources.’ The report concludes with a primary recommendation that a just and lasting peace for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and for the eradication of poverty, require an end to the Israeli illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. According to the World Bank, ‘a further radical tightening of closure [by Israel of Palestinian territories] would push the Palestinian economy into a poverty trap in which any prospect of recovery can be forgotten for a long time.’
The Rt Revd Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter, who wrote the forward for the Christian Aid report and also spoke at the launching event, referred to an ‘impoverishment of hope’. Reminding the audience that the Oslo process for peace had been political as much as economic, he also emphasised the declining belief within Palestinian communities that a dreadful situation may get better soon. Reminding the audience of the local Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant communities witnessing in the Holy Land, the Bishop mentioned that prayer and protest, as much as aid and advocacy, go hand in hand within the Christian ministry.
Earlier last week, Roy Isacowitz, veteran Israeli journalist at the Independent Media Centre in Israel, wrote an article entitled ‘Sharon Shoots the Elephant’. Referring to George Orwell’s 1936 short story, he used the analogies to depict Israel as the coloniser of the Palestinian people and their land. He added that Israel was maintaining the perception of power and strength since losing face was the greatest failure. However, he added, perceptions exist only in the eyes of the beholder. So the coloniser has become dependent on the reactions of the subject, whilst the ruler has become the puppet of the ruled.
Isacowitz added rather ruefully that Israelis ‘have all lost the capacity to see reality and [we] are all infatuated with the illusory blessings of power and force. Despite an apparently widespread recognition that the occupation is the prime cause of our social fragmentation and economic disintegration, we are unable to shake off the mask of the sahib. We would prefer to continue on our downward spiral than lose face in the eyes of the Palestinians.’
Whilst the USA and some Western countries today are possessed almost exclusively with the threat that Iraq poses to world safety, Palestinians - once priding themselves for the highest number of PhD’s per capita in the whole Arab world - have been abandoned to a wretched fate. They are expected to fend off poverty and anguish as much as political oppression and subjugation by Isacowitz’s sahibs whose colonial rule, by its very nature, petrifies the thinking and behaviour of the Israeli occupying ruler. Day in day out, Palestinians are losing more parcels of their land. Day in day out, their human dignity is being stolen away from them. Palestinians are enduring one of the longest and most dispiriting occupations of modern times. However, like all past chapters of colonialism, like the British officers in the Raj, the Belgian officers in the Congo or the French officers in Vietnam, Israeli officers too will fail to quell freedom. Wrong as it may well be, colonised nations have invariably had to resort to violence of one form or another to achieve their independence. Just remember India, or the Mau Mau in Kenya or the Frelimo in Mozambique.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said, ‘Injustice and oppression will never prevail. Those who are powerful need to remember the litmus test that God gives to the powerful: what is your treatment of the poor, the hungry, the voiceless?’ What I fear these days is that we are all becoming increasingly and frighteningly enmeshed in a world of antipodean designs, and our intuitive thinking is being cloned in ways that are not necessarily synchronous with International law and global ethics.
As I re-read Archbishop Tutu’s words, and as I look at the situation in the Holy Land today, I pray that the world would still make an effort to recall the poor, hungry and voiceless Palestinians before it is too late!
© hbv-H @ 7 February 2003
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