News, articles and documents from the Holy Land

“Peace will be the fruit of Justice and my people will dwell in the beauty of Peace” (Is. 32:18)

Issue No. 93 - Tuesday, 21 August 2001

Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters,

While the prayers for peace in Jerusalem continue with great enthusiasm, our Patriarch let today the prayer in the Church of St James in Beit Hanina, which is a part of the Latin Parish of Jerusalem ministered by the Franciscan Fathers. It was great not only because it was in Arabic but also because the church was extremely full of faithful, mainly from our local Arab communities.

Yesterday, the prayer was great and beautiful at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church nearby the Holy Sepulcher Church. We enjoyed especially the beautiful songs accompanied by the pipe organ and the well-prepared prayers almost composed for this occasion and express the present situation in Christian words. Therefore, you will find hereby two of the prayers that I find very meaningful.

Today also we had the great pleasure to visit the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in order to present our congratulations to the newly elected Patriarch Irenios. Our Patriarch was accompanied with H.E. Bishop Kamal Bathish the general vicar and H.E. Bishop Boulos Marcuzzo the Patriarchal vicar in Nazareth for Israel with the Patriarchal clergy and representatives of the religious communities in Jerusalem including the Abbot of Abu Ghosh benedictine monastery Jean-Baptiste Gourion and the Abbot of the Dormition Abbey Benedickt Lindamann… The visit was very cordial and fraternal during which the two Patriarchs exchanged shorts speeches, which expressed a deep atmosphere of communion promising for a future collaboration. Everybody was impressed by the simplicity and cordiality of the new Patriarch who speaks perfect Arabic since he came to the Holy Land when he was 13 years old and spend here around fifty years even if he was during the last 22 years in Greece as the representative of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Athens. You will find herewith some Photos of this meeting and for more you can visit our photo album in my Nonviolence Homepage.

The Patriarch spent last Sunday afternoon and Monday morning in a Pastoral visit to the newly assigned Parish priests: Fr. Aktham Hijazin in Zababdeh (Samaria), Fr Louis Hazboun in Jaffa of Nazareth (Galilee) and Fr. Aziz Halaweh in Aboud (near Ramallah). He visited also Fr. Alephonse Salah parish priest of Jenin, Fr. Jack Karam the Franciscan priest in Mugedel, Fr. Iyad Twal parish priest of Birzeit and Fr. Rick Van de Water parish priest of Jifna. We had a wonderful round, but you cannot imagine how difficult to move from a place to another with all the checkpoints and the blocked roads between all the villages and towns in the Palestinian Authority areas and around. We really felt the hardship people are facing in their daily life which became very complicated, and I was sure that without the diplomatic car and passports we would not have the possibility to circulate because you have to find a way out from this big prison and sophisticated labyrinth.

You will find also in today’s Olive Branch some more documents:

1) The Last article of Dr. Harry Hagopian “Citizen’s Choices, Politicians’ Madates!” in which he proposes a new creative initiative which might help to find a way our of the dilemma of the violence.

2) Saad G. Hattar is a journalist in the THE JORDAN TIMES, who advertises the church renovation of our church in Fuheis- Jordan by the Community and outside donations. This is a very interesting story.

3) But another different story for you on the siege by Samia Khoury who is a very active women in the social and ecclesiastical field. A short story but a very interesting one.

4) Two text from the prayer for peace at the Lutheran Church:

5) A new book in English about Male and female circumcision will be published within a very short time by my brother Dr. Sami Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh. You might be interested on this subject.

We still pray for peace in Jerusalem. Please join us in this battle also.

Best wishes from Jerusalem Fr. Raed Abusahlia

Citizens’ Choices, Politicians’ Mandates!

Dr Harry Hagopian, LL.D-KSL

Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart

W B Yeats

‘The face of the Church of Jerusalem is a torn face, torn by pain and sufferings… We wait for the day when God will respond to the prayers of all those who implore him for the peace of Jerusalem. We implore him to make his own love the dominating sovereignty over all human conflicts and disputes, in the city he chose to be the city of redemption and reconciliation of all humankind with himself.’

This is one short excerpt of the powerful message that HB Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem carried with him to the Sioux Falls diocesan gathering of the Catholic Church in the USA. The message was crystal clear - a plea for peace, as much as an affirmation that Christ’s crucifixion was also a manifestation of his divinity and of the power of his love. This pacific plea also coincided this week with the ecumenical prayers for peace in the Holy Land undertaken by the Churches of Jerusalem. The challenging theme of those prayers comes from St John’s gospel ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you; Do not let your heart be troubled, or afraid (Jn 14:27).’

So what is happening in the land of the prophets today in the face of such pleas for peace? True, there has been a lull in the fighting. But this temporary lull between the two sides could also lead to another chapter of painful deaths and injuries if the opportunity is not seized to redress the situation. But can we any longer rely solely on the old formulaic approaches to peacemaking? Or is there perhaps a need to introduce another fresh dimension into the whole process? Have the various initiatives that have encroached upon both parties helped nudge them toward conciliation? Has a new and bold vision appeared on the horizon?

Hardly! And this negative reality reminds me of Albert Einstein’s warning that trying the same thing over and over with the expectation of a different result is the definition of insanity! So if we postulate for one moment that the proposals currently on the table - including the Mitchell Commission report - are also part of an ‘old same thing’, what fresh alternatives are available, feasible and credible? As the process for peace unravels with serious ease, and as obduracy and arrogance take hold, is there any possibility of devolving a different scheme?

I have repeated on many occasions that the eleven-month Intifada is a Palestinian decolonisation process. It is a war between two peoples rather than between two armies. It therefore follows that any decisions undertaken to cease all the violence and move forward in the process must not only include the political and military establishments but also the people. Otherwise put, it should also include representatives from both communities. The ordinary people - Palestinians and Israelis alike - must be made to feel they have an investment in the decisions that impact their own futures. Therefore, why not involve the peoples of both communities in this process? Let me suggest a structure that borrows its creative foundation from the writings of eminent International lawyers such as Professors Andrew Strauss and Robin Mead and calls upon the jurisprudence available in the Orartu case.

I propose taking the jury system as a frame of reference, and drawing upon the demography of this small parcel of land, in order to have the leadership from both communities choose [say] seven citizen committees. Each committee will consist of typical Palestinians and Israelis chosen in accordance with a mutually agreed and representative formula. Each of those committees, led by a facilitator trained in the principles of conflict resolution, would be instructed to develop a workable plan on those issues that constitute the conflict. The meetings of the committees would be televised so that both communities would become engaged in the process. Once the mutual recriminations are over and done with, the hope is that some progress could begin to be made. This format is not too removed from the beginnings of the Oslo meetings, but involves more people and at a higher public level.

If the committees were successful in proposing some terms of reference, the consolidation of those proposals would then be left to the politicians. And although the authorities on either side would not be compelled to accept those proposals, the mere fact that they enjoy a popular base would give the political leadership adequate cover for difficult concessions. Conversely, they would also make it more arduous for the extreme fringes to spurn or undermine those proposals, and would counter the argument that the political leaders are chary of being upstaged by their own peoples.

Mind you, I acknowledge freely that this suggestion might appear clumsy or arbitrary in some ways. But what I am proposing is merely a concept - or even a paradigm - which is grounded in a vision. It is up to the experts in the field to flesh out the methodology and rules. However, this approach has been used on different scales and levels in conflict resolution in the past. It could thus become a powerful tool if it manages to connect the personal with the diplomatic, and then begins a healing process at the level of the individual citizens that will lead toward reconciliation. Indeed, one challenge within the Israeli-Palestinian axis is to encourage the silent members of society to overcome their cynicism and participate directly in what has been considered the exclusive realm of seasoned and professional politicians. This process might eventually strengthen democracy.

But it is also obvious that the success of this approach as one way of tackling the conflict is far from certain. To be truthful, and given the intractable nature of the core issues as much as the asymmetry between the two parties, it is perhaps wise to predict that this process imports with it a high rate of failure. After all, people-to-people initiatives - the lucrative industry of the last decade - were also predicated on those same variables. Yet, they failed to introduce any credible breakthroughs. But is it possible that a people-centred approach, that goes hand-in-hand with the diplomatic and international efforts being deployed to defuse the tensions, might help draw the parties closer together?

What is the genuine alternative? More bloodshed between one entity that refuses to give the other party its legitimate rights, and another entity that has not yet succeeded in claiming those rights? At this stage, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems to be prolonging the sacrifices of both peoples and thereby making stones of the hearts of Israelis and Palestinians alike. Alas, the face of Jerusalem – with its synagogues, churches and mosques - is still being torn asunder by pain and suffering …

I am grateful to Mr Mark Gallimore, a long-standing legal associate, for editing this article

THE JORDAN TIMES, August 19 . 2001, advertises the church renovation in Fuheis- Jordan

Community and outside donations fund church renovation

By Saad G. Hattar

FUHEIS –– From Fuheis to Karak and from Hosson to Rmeimin, century-old vintage churches, some of them rapidly deteriorating, wait in line for renovation.
A businessman from Salt, 29 kilometres west of Amman, has already renovated the oldest Latin Church in Jordan, built in his hometown in 1871.

This was the first of nearly 12 religious sites spread by the Latin Patriarchate over a 50-year span along major towns of then-embryonic Jordan around the dawn of the 20th century.

The structures of other monasteries, notably that of Rmeimin, are still in bad shape, waiting for the goodwill of believers at home and abroad.

In contrast, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church at Fuheis has been a story of success and diligence. In this hilly town dotted with vines and olive trees, 20 kilometres west of Amman, residents and philanthropists have joined ranks in collecting funds to repair the town's church.

“With JD78,264 collected since the launch of the donation campaign in January 2001, we have restored 50 per cent of what is required,” said Father Hanna Kildani. The funds, Kildani added, are expected to support one month of construction work.

Donations have hitherto come from Jordanians living in Aqaba, Fuheis and Amman as well as from the Palestinian town of Beit Sahour. Expatriates from as far as the United States, Britain, Italy and the Netherlands also contributed to this renovation.

He said more donations are required for the renovation process, estimated to cost JD165,000, so as to inaugurate the renovated church possibly by Christmas or Easter 2002.

The core of the renovation is to replace the church's asbestos roof, believed to cause lung and stomach cancer, with modern red roof tiles.

“Albeit more expensive, tiles were our best choice to conserve the environment and avoid cementing the structure's seventy-year-old foundations,” said Father Kildani.

He explained that “initial calculations predicted that a roof made of steel and cement would have weighed 65 tonnes, an option which required fortifying foundations and possibly deforming the premises.”

In the process, all civil engineering, plastering, windows and doors, the electricity network and the entrance will be redone.

The rustic, Arabesque floor tiles will not be changed. The marble altar will be moved forward.

The reconstruction was launched under the motto “I will build my church,” coined by eleven-year-old local student Omar Hattar, according to the priest.

Donations have ranged from JD100 to more than JD500.

“Father, accept our donation of $500 for our Mother, the Church of Fuheis,” wrote a girl from the local community living in the United States by e-mail. Mary Hattar Sweiss, in her 40s, said she has grown attached to this monastery with its social and religious ties. Farah Samaan, in his 50s, told The Jordan Times “we are all attached to this church built by our forefathers.”

More data on the church, reconstruction project and donation channels can be found at the Immaculate's Internet site http://go.to/bmv.restoration.

Built in 1932 as a joint venture by the Jerusalem Latin Patriarchate and the Fuheis Latin Parish, the church has stood as a testimony to inter-community co-operation. Scores of Fuheisi volunteers worked round-the-clock to build the “House of God” in their midst. Fuheis now houses a second Latin church in addition to two Orthodox churches and one Catholic church.

From 1932 to 2000, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church witnessed 35,000 masses, 818 weddings, 2604 baptisms and 631 funerals.

Fourteen priests have served this church and neighbouring communities over the past seven decades. Kildani, who served as parish priest in Abu Dhabi and Palestine, has been posted in Fuheis since 1989. Kildani also heads 24 Latin schools and educational centres across the country.

Here is a different story for you on the siege

By Samia Khoury

In the little town of Birzeit, the handful of Episcopalians share the same parish priest with the parish of Ramallah where he resides. Whether the few are not an incentive for a full time priest, or whether the church cannot afford a resident priest, or an organist in this university town is besides the point. This system has been going on for many years, even when the parish was larger. So maybe it was the shortage of clergy that was behind this policy. But my story today is about the twin babies (Basel and Layan) of my second cousin Sami Wadi Nasir. Their baptismal was scheduled for last Saturday, August 11. Because of the closure and the strict siege on the town of Birzeit, the parish priest could not come in from Ramallah. Contemplating a postponement was futile, because the coming days did not look any better.

The priest called the Bishop and they got an OK for the Catholic priest to officiate. Hurray for them. The children were baptized by the Catholic priest in the Episcopal Church. Will the spirit of Ecumenism become the norm, and not only because of the siege??? Inshallah.

A Song with Meditation: Someone's crying

All sing: Someone's crying. Lord, Kumba yah

Someone's crying. Lord, Kumba yah

Oh, Lord, Kumba yah.

Pr. Susan Thomas: Someone's crying Lord, somewhere.

Some is millions, somewhere is many places.

There are tears of suffering.

Someone's dying. Lord, heal the times.

Someone's shouting. Lord.

All sing: Someone's praying. Lord, Kumba Yah

Pr. lbrahimAzar: Someone's shouting out loudly and clearly.

Someone has made a choice.

Someone is ready to stand up against the times.

Someone is shouting out, offering her very existence in love and anger to fight death surrounding us, to wrestle with the evils with which we crucify each other.

Someone's shouting. Lord, heal the times.

Someone's praying. Lord.

All sing: Someone's praying. Lord, Kumba Yah

Scandinavian representative: Someone's praying, Lord.

We are praying in tears and anger, in frustration and weakness, in strength and endurance. We are shouting and wrestling, as Jacob wrestled with the angel, and was touched, and was marked, and became a blessing.

We are praying. Lord. Spur our imagination, sharpen our political will.

Through Jesus Christ you have let us know where you want us to be.

Help us to be there now, be with us, touch us, mark us, let us be a blessing, let your power be present in our weakness.

Someone's praying Lord, heal the times.

Someone's praying, Lord.

All sing: Someone's praying. Lord, Kumba Yah

A Palestinian Litany from Jerusalem

Written by Bishop Munib A. Younan, the Lutheran

Bishop in Jerusalem, March 15, 2001

Representative of the Armenian Orthodox Church:

Almighty and eternal God, Father, Son and Holy

Spirit, we glorify and praise you. You are our only refuge in this troubled world.

- We glorify and praise you, our God.

Merciful God, in the birth of your Son Jesus

Christ, in Bethlehem you became one of us, sharing and understanding our humanity, our suffering and problems.

- We glorify and praise you, our God.

Representative of the Coptic Orthodox Church:

We thank you that you took refuge to Egypt, identifying yourself with all who are refugees and victims of political power.

- We thank you, our God.

We thank you that you grew up in Nazareth and ministered to the people in Galilee, and spread your kingdom in a new way.

- We thank you, our God.

Representative of the Latin Church:

We thank you that you were crucified in Jerusalem, identifying yourself with every person who suffers and lives under occupation and injustice. On the cross you carried the sin and suffering of all human beings and reconciled us with you and with our fellow human beings.

- We thank you, our God.

All sing:

Yarabba ssalami arnter alayna ssalam,

Yarabba ssalami im la'qulubana salam.

)God of peace, give us your peace, fill our hearts with peace)

Representative of the Greek Catholic Church:

Our Heavenly Father, we come before you with all the troubles and pains we are experiencing here in the Middle East:

- Lord, have mercy on us.

We pray for all the victims of the injustices and violence in our present situation. We pray also for those who are responsible for injustices and all forms of violence.

- Lord, have mercy on us.

Representative of the Presbyterian Church:

We pray for our laborers who cannot enter to their places of work.

We pray for our youth who are losing their hope for the future.

- Lord, have mercy on us.

Representative of the Anglican Church:

We pray for our mothers who are fed up with bloodshed, killing and the use of arms.

We pray for the bereaved families, who lost their dear ones.

We pray for the quick recovery of the injured.

We especially pray for those who have to live with permanent disability.

- Lord, have mercy on us.

All sing:

Yarabba ssalami arnter alayna ssalam,

Yarabba ssalami im la'qulubana salam.

)God of peace, give us your peace, fill our hearts with peace)

Representatives of the German-speaking Church:

Jesus, our Savior, our eyes look to you, our only help in these troubled times.