Friendship between Virginia and Palestine churches leads to support for the wider community

From Virginia-

The deep, enduring friendship between the people of Grace Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Virginia, and St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Nablus, Palestine, has its roots – as so many important things do – in a Sunday school lesson.

When Tim Wilder arrived home in 2002 after serving with the State Department at the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, he and his wife, Susan (who is a pastor), were asked to teach an adult Sunday school class on the state of political turmoil between Palestine and Israel. The Middle East Working Group grew out of those conversations as an effort to answer the question: As people of faith, what should our response be to what we’ve learned? 

According to Grace’s current pastor, Ben Trawick, members of the working group put in a great deal of time doing research and exploring possibilities for engagement in Palestine. Ultimately, in 2007, with the help of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) staffer Doug Dicks, a partnership between Grace and St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Nablus – a city of 350,000 people in the northern West Bank – was born.

More here-

https://pres-outlook.org/2019/07/friendship-between-virginia-and-palestine-churches-leads-to-support-for-the-wider-community/

The Impossible Future of Christians in the Middle East

From The Atlantic-

The call came in 2014, shortly after Easter. Four years earlier, Catrin Almako’s family had applied for special visas to the United States. Catrin’s husband, Evan, had cut hair for the U.S. military during the early years of its occupation of Iraq. Now a staffer from the International Organization for Migration was on the phone. “Are you ready?” he asked. The family had been assigned a departure date just a few weeks away.  

“I was so confused,” Catrin told me recently. During the years they had waited for their visas, Catrin and Evan had debated whether they actually wanted to leave Iraq. Both of them had grown up in Karamles, a small town in the historic heart of Iraqi Christianity, the Nineveh Plain. Evan owned a barbershop near a church. Catrin loved her kitchen, where she spent her days making pastries filled with nuts and dates. Their families lived there: her five siblings and aging parents, his two brothers.

More here-

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/05/iraqi-christians-nineveh-plain/589819/?fbclid=IwAR2cinVSB9rsc54xQRgRhqS_yoJTMPtxewq2wFNdHr2x4hSGoXSWtGxX2xU

Westminster Abbey service celebrates Middle East Christians

From Westminster Abbey-

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales attended a service to celebrate the contribution of Christians in the Middle East, at Westminster Abbey on Tuesday 4th December.

The service was led by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, who said in his Bidding:

In this Advent season, as we approach the celebration of Christmas, our hearts and minds turn to the cradle of our civilisation, and in particular to Bethlehem as the birth-place of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

So we pray for all the people of the Holy Land and of the surrounding nations. We pray that they may live in harmony one with another, respecting difference and celebrating common humanity. And we pray for peace within each nation and between all peoples of whatever faith.

The Prince of Wales read a Reflection expressing concern for the difficult situations endured by Christians in the region, and support for those communities most affected.
Further Reflections were read by His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of Jerusalem; and Maulana Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Director General and Chief Imam, Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society.

More here-

https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-news/christians-middle-east/

Christians in Middle East at risk of 'imminent extinction,' warns Anglican head

From Christian Post-

Christians in the Middle East are at risk of “imminent extinction” due to the continued “threat of violence, murder, intimidation, prejudice and poverty,” the archbishop of Canterbury has warned.

In a recent op-ed for the Sunday Telegraph, Justin Welby described the “daily threat of murder” 

Christians are experiencing in the Middle East, calling it “the worst situation since the Mongol invasions of the 13th Century.”

"In the last few years, they have been slaughtered by so-called Islamic State, and in many countries they find themselves squeezed between the upper and lower millstones of pressure on them within society and of conflicts that afflict the region.

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-in-middle-east-at-risk-of-imminent-extinction-warns-anglican-head.html

 

Church leaders condemn Syria strikes

From The Church Times-

THE bombing of Syrian targets, approved by the Prime Minister to “degrade the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons capability”, has been condemned by Syrian church leaders.

A joint statement issued on Saturday, the morning after the strikes, denounced it as “brutal aggression” and “a clear violation of the international laws and the UN Charter, because it is an unjustified assault on a sovereign country”.

The statement was signed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All The East, John X; the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All The East, Ignatius Aphrem II; and the Melkite-Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, Joseph Absi.

Their view was put into perspective by the Revd Stephen Griffith, a former Anglican chaplain in Damascus: “The Churches of Syria are in captivity. Their leaders dare not criticise the government of Syria for fear of the consequences, both personally and for their communities” (Comment).

On Monday, the Bishop of Coventry, Dr Christopher Cocksworth, described the co-ordination of the strikes, carried out by British, French, and US forces, as representing “an impressive example of diplomatic energy and skill”.

More here-

https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/20-april/news/world/church-leaders-divided-over-syria-air-strike

Syrian bishop narrowly avoids death in bombing

From Crux Now-

A bomb fell in the bedroom of the Maronite Archbishop of Damascus last week. He was spared death, he says, only because of a providential trip to the lavatory.

Archbishop Samir Nassar related that a shell fell on his bed the afternoon of Jan. 8, when he had been taking a nap. He got up to go to the bathroom shortly before the bomb hit his room, and he said that “a few seconds at the sink saved my life!”

“Providence watches over his little servant, but now I am exiled like 12 million Syrian refugees who have nothing left,” he told Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need.

Nassar’s cathedral was heavily damaged. He said that “The doors of the cathedral and 43 windows and doors have to be replaced, holes need to be filled, fuel tanks and water tanks need repairing, as does the electricity network.”

More here-

https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2018/01/16/syrian-bishop-narrowly-avoids-death-bombing/

U.S. to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital, Trump Says, Alarming Middle East Leaders

From The New York Times-

President Trump plans to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the American Embassy there, upending nearly seven decades of American foreign policy and potentially destroying his efforts to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Mr. Trump’s decision, a high-risk foray into the thicket of the Middle East, was driven not by diplomatic calculations but by a campaign promise. He appealed to evangelicals and ardently pro-Israel American Jews in 2016 by vowing to move the embassy, and advisers said on Tuesday he was determined to make good on his word.

But the president, faced with a deadline of this past Monday to make that decision, still plans to sign a national security waiver to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv for an additional six months, even as he set in motion a plan to move it to Jerusalem. Officials said the process would take several years.

More here-

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/05/world/middleeast/american-embassy-israel-trump-move.html

New Primate for the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East

From Anglican News-

Archbishop Suheil Dawani of the Diocese of Jerusalem has been elected as the next Primate of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. He succeeds Archbishop Mouneer Hanna Anis, who has held the post since 2007. Archbishop Dawani will serve for a period of two and a half years, to be followed by Bishop Michael Lewis of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. He will serve for the same length of time, ending in May 2022.

The changes were decided upon at a two day meeting of the Synod of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East,  in Amman, Jordan. In a statement, the Synod said: “We congratulate both Archbishop Suheil and Bishop Michael on their appointments, and we give thanks for Archbishop Mouneer’s service as our Primate since 2007....Please uphold the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East in your prayers.”

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2017/05/new-primate-for-the-province-of-jerusalem-and-the-middle-east.aspx

The Chief Rabbi And The Archbishop: Pushing Beyond Interfaith Clichés

From Jewish Week-

It was moving to see one of the world’s most important Christian leaders stand at Yad Vashem earlier this month, declaring that anti-Semitism should become so alien that it would be “something that is only found mysteriously in old history books.” And it wasn’t only what Justin Welby, leader of the world’s third-largest Christian grouping said that made the sight so moving — but who he said it with.

Welby is Archbishop of Canterbury, meaning that he leads the world’s 80 million Anglicans, and as he spoke about anti-Semitism in Jerusalem, his travel companion stood behind him, and then picked up where he left off. Archbishop Welby had told Commonwealth Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis that he would be visiting Israel, and realizing that the rabbi has been living in Jerusalem for a two-year stint and knows the city well, invited him to join the trip.

And so, a personal and professional bond set the stage for an interfaith trip that pushed far beyond the clichés that can sometimes limit such get-togethers. It was a visit that saw the archbishop take a hard look at his own society in England and say that “a fresh sense of anti-Semitism” there “must go so deeply into the root of our culture.” Having earlier called anti-Semitism the “root of all racism” in European culture, Archbishop Welby declared: “Until that is expelled from our culture, there will be a taproot for all racism, all discrimination, all cruelty because of the nature of the human being in our culture.”

More here-

http://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/the-chief-rabbi-and-the-archbishop-pushing-beyond-interfaith-cliches/

Archbishop of Canterbury's praise for "bridge-building" Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem

From ACNS-

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby,  has concluded his longest pastoral visit to a diocese outside the Church of England by praising the Archbishop of Jerusalem's "bridge-building" work between Israelis and Palestinians.

Archbishop Justin's 11-day "pastoral pilgrimage" was designed to provide an opportunity for him to hear from beleaguered Christians in the Middle East and to witness the Diocese of Jerusalem's work in the area of reconciliation.

The diocese, in the province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, includes Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.  Archbishop Justin began his visit in Jordan, where King Abdullah assured him that the country would continue to speak out for the presence of Christians in the region. After that meeting, Archbishop Justin asserted that Christians "are the past in the Middle East, they are the present, and they must be the future."

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2017/05/archbishop-of-canterburys-praise-for-bridge-building-anglican-archbishop-in-jerusalem.aspx

Region’s largest Anglican church being built in Abu Dhabi

From Abu Dhabi-

In a testament to the UAE’s multicultural tolerance, the region’s largest Anglican church is currently being built in Abu Dhabi, with the land for the church donated by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Currently under construction in Musaffah, the All Saints Anglican Church will be able to accommodate over 4,000 worshippers when complete. The church is currently looking to raise Dh8 million to reach its target of Dh20 million, which is the total cost of the church, and it expects to receive its final funding by December.

“At a time when walls are being erected between different faith communities in the world, the UAE continues their tradition of welcoming people of different faiths as a genuine and mature expression of their Islamic hospitality,” said Reverend Andy Thompson, senior chaplain in charge of Anglican churches in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

More here-

http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/society/region-s-largest-anglican-church-being-built-in-abu-dhabi-1.2026406

Trump's Middle East visit could be decisive, says Justin Welby

From The Guardian-

Donald Trump and his team could tip the scales in favour of Israeli-Palestinian peace prospects when they arrive in Jerusalem in less than two weeks, the archbishop of Canterbury has said.

Speaking on the penultimate day of his 12-day tour of the region, Justin Welby said: “We know from history in this region that determined leadership by the president of the United States, together with patient working by lots of other people in the background, often unknown, can tip things very, very decisively.”

He said: “People have lots of views about President Trump but when he comes here my prayer for him is that he will be filled with determination and courage and be given gifts of wisdom that will make a difference.

“His office has the capacity to make a difference. It’s one of the very few offices in the world outside this region that does. And so we pray for him to be able to do that.”

More here-

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/10/trumps-middle-east-visit-could-be-decisive-says-justin-welby

Franklin Graham calls persecution of Christians ‘genocide’

From RNS-

Also speaking at the opening of the summit: Metropolitan Tikhon, primate of the Orthodox Church in America, and the Rev. Mouneer Hanna Anis, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Egypt, who stressed that Christians have shown love to the killers of their relatives.

“The forgiveness that has been expressed by families of martyrs is the most powerful witness in the face of terrorism,” he said.

Forgiveness and Christ’s call to love one’s enemies were invoked during the evening far more than Islamic militants were blamed for the sufferings of Christians. But Graham, at one point in his 25-minute speech, presented Islamists as threats to Christians globally.

He said the Islamic State fighters who beheaded Coptic Christians on a Libyan beach in 2015 had then promised to conquer Rome.

More here-

http://religionnews.com/2017/05/10/franklin-graham-calls-persecution-of-christians-genocide/

Archbishop of Canterbury says Mideast peace talks may need to include Hamas

From Israel-

The Archbishop of Canterbury said Monday that in order for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to reach a deal there may need to be a seat at the table for the Hamas terrorist group, but cautioned the timing must be right or disaster could ensue.

Justin Welby, on a 10-day tour of the holy land, spoke to the British Guardian newspaper and Christian Today, after having visited the Gaza Strip last week.

“The archbishop said the time may come when parties seeking a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict needed to include Hamas in talks,” the Guardian reported, and then quoted Welby saying: “In any place where there’s serious conflict, there’s a point where you need to talk to everyone, but it has got to be the point where you can make some progress.”

Including extremists in talks — both Palestinian and Israeli — should be kept as an option, Welby reportedly suggested, apparently referring to hard-line settler groups on the Israeli side.

More here-

http://www.timesofisrael.com/archbishop-of-canterbury-says-mideast-peace-talks-will-need-to-include-hamas/

Archbishop of Canterbury to meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders

From The BBC-

The Archbishop of Canterbury is to meet Palestinian and Israeli political leaders as part of a 12-day tour of the Holy Land.

His visit comes two weeks before US President Donald Trump is due to arrive in Jerusalem to try to revive the moribund peace process.

However, the Most Reverend Justin Welby indicated there should not be too much significance read into the timing.

"I come to pray, to share, to listen, to encourage," he told the BBC.

"It would be very presumptuous to go further. You cannot, in a place as complicated as this, go and lecture people."

More here-

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39843985

Archbishop of Canterbury in Jerusalem laments 'suffering and persecution,' says Christians can hep heal the region

From Christian Today-

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has preached a powerful sermon in Jerusalem declaring that the presence of Christians is 'essential to the life and hope of this whole area'.

Addressing the Anglican faithful at a packed St George's Cathedral in east Jerusalem, the Archbishop lamented the 'all consuming' suffering felt by the church in the region, where 'Christians especially are experiencing persecution' and 'are especially threatened'.

But in an ultimately uplifting ten minute sermon based on the theme of 'abundant life' promised by Jesus and delivered hours before he was to be installed as an Episcopal Canon at the Anglican Cathedral, Archbishop Welby said: 'The life of Christ changes everything, every aspect of our lives. It is not only in the areas of prayer and worship, not for the internal life of the church only'.


More here-

https://www.christiantoday.com/article/archbishop.of.canterbury.in.jerusalem.laments.suffering.and.persecution.says.christians.can.hep.heal.the.region/108542.htm

Archbishop reflects on meeting Iraqi Christians in Jordan

From Justin Welby-

Yesterday we visited St Paul's Anglican Church in Amman, Jordan. It is an extraordinary place - a congregation made up of Jordanians, a few Egyptians, some Syrians (though many of these have been resettled) and Iraqi refugees.

It was their stories which I found especially moving. The intense suffering of Iraqi Christians does not end when they leave Iraq. As I listened, there was this awful sense of lives torn apart.
People are divided from their children and families and have no idea what will happen. One woman has children in both Germany and the Netherlands, but has been refused entry to both so she doesn't know when or if they will ever be reunited.

Young men are vulnerable to being recruited to extremist causes because their community and networks have been stripped away.
One man told me he has no hope at all. He said he is caught between Islamic State, the government and NGOs who further discriminate against him because he is a Christian.

More here-

http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/5858/archbishop-reflects-on-meeting-iraqi-christians-in-jordan-

Aleppo presents a moral dilemma for Christian leaders

From The Economist-

THE travails of Aleppo, it is generally agreed, pose one of the great moral crises of our time. The city is also the location of some venerable Christian churches, going back to the faith's earliest years, so you might expect that the world's Christian leaders would have a lot to say about events in that unhappy place, and in Syria generally.

In fact, the reaction of global Christianity to the unfolding drama in northern Syria has been muffled and contradictory. There are good reasons for that. The leaders of Syria's local churches have generally looked to President Bashar al-Assad as their protector; and their feeling that only Mr Assad guarantees their lives has deepened as the conflict has polarised, with fundamentalist Sunni fighters, murderously hostile to all other faiths, on one side and government forces backed by Shia militias and Russian air power on the other. In this state of affairs, only the latter coalition seems to offer Christian churches any chance of prolonging their precarious existence. Many would say Mr Assad is to blame for bringing about that polarisation; but to a bishop on Syria's front-line, survival probably matters more than political analysis.

More here-

http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2016/12/syria-and-christianity

Historic center of Christianity in Middle East under threat as never before says Justin Welby

From Ecumenical News-

"It would not be over-stating matters to say that Christianity is both the numerically largest faith and the most persecuted," said Welby speaking in Abu Dhabi before a Muslim body debating integration and religious freedom.

"The historic center of the Christian Church in the Middle East has never felt so threatened, but is also under attack in countries as diverse as North Korea and Eritrea, where Christians are harassed, imprisoned, persecuted and killed."

Welby, who is the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the spiritual leader of the Church of England was addressing a senior Islamic group from the Muslim Council of Elders known as the "Council of the Wise."

More here-

http://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/historic-center-of-christianity-in-middle-east-under-threat-as-never-before-says-justin-welby/54405.htm

Religious leaders call for peaceful, integrated world

From Abu Dhabi-

 Religious leaders from the Muslim Council of Elders — an independent international body that aims to promote peace in Muslim societies — and the Anglican Church yesterday (Wednesday) called for setting up a peaceful and integrated world.

Dr Ahmad Al Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Egypt’s highest religious authority, called on Wednesday for peace and understanding between Islam and Christianity, saying “as the very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake we Muslims and Christians should let the unpleasantness between us become a thing of the past”.

Stressing that if Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world will not be at peace, the Grand Imam quoted the Swiss Catholic theologian Hans Kung as saying: “No peace among the nations without peace among the religions.”

More here-

http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/society/religious-leaders-call-for-peaceful-integrated-world-1.1923258