Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

'Watching the news, I could not help but join in the tears of Jesus, who wept over the land of his birth, and prayed for peace to reign' the Archbishop of Cape Town said. 

Archbishop of Canterburys’s statement on Gaza

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has made the following statement regarding the current situation in Gaza:

The spiralling violence in Gaza tragically illustrates the fact that the cycle of mutual threat and retaliation have no lasting effect except to reinforce the misery and insecurity of everyone in the region. I want to express my grief and sympathy for the innocent lives lost in this latest phase of violence. People of all faiths in this country will want to join their voices to the statements of the Christian Muslim Forum and the Council of Christians and Jews in urging a return to the ceasefire and efforts to secure a lasting peace. We must unite in urging all those who have the power to halt this spiral of violence to do so. 

Those raising the stakes through the continuation of indiscriminate violence seem to have forgotten nothing and learned nothing. It must surely be clear that, whilst peace will not wipe out the memory of all past wrongs, it is the only basis for the future flourishing of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. The recent statement by the Patriarchs and Heads of Church in Jerusalem reflects a clear awareness that there can be no winners if the current situation is allowed to persist. Its continuation can only condemn ordinary Palestinian and Israeli citizens to the prospect of another year of fear and suffering.

Urgent humanitarian needs have arisen through the attacks on Gaza and Israel and they demand a generous response to local appeals for support, such as that issued by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem for its hospital in Gaza. But this humanitarian response, both local and international, needs to be matched by redoubled efforts in the political sphere.

The prophet Zechariah declared, "Not by might and not by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of Hosts". The New Year is an opportunity for a new initiative that will set the tone for what lies ahead. Religious leaders, most particularly those of the region, have an urgent responsibility in supporting the search for peace and reconciliation. But it is the political leaders and opinion-formers who hold the key to implementing the necessary changes that can bring hope. Can they not agree a period of truce as the New Year begins, so that the communities of the Holy Land may once again explore how common security might at last begin to replace the mechanical rhythms of mutual threat? Might the outgoing and incoming Presidents of the USA combine to make such an appeal and pursue its implementation?  

The Anglican Communion worldwide stands alongside other religious communities and humanitarian organisations in its commitment to supporting any such initiative. Without such a sign of hope, the future for the Holy Land and the whole region is one of more fear, innocent suffering and destruction.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The statement by Imam Dr Musharraf Hussain and The Rt Revd Dr Richard Cheetham, Co-Chairs of the 'Christian Muslim Forum' is available at: http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/subpage.asp?id=325

The statement by The Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, Chair of the 'Council of Christians and Jews' is available at: http://www.ccj.org.uk/

The statement by the Patriarchs and Heads of Church in Jerusalem is available at: http://www.lpj.org/newsite2006/news/2008/12/gaza-message-en-headschrches2008.html

Joint Statement on the Situation in Gaza from Archbishop Alan Harper and Cardinal Sean Brady.

The Most Revd Alan Harper, OBE, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and Cardinal Seán Brady, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, today issue the following statement:

As pilgrims together for peace, earlier this year we visited the land of the Holy One. It is, therefore, with distress and deepening concern for all innocent victims that we have followed the unfolding tragedy of Gaza. We call upon the authorities in both Israel and Gaza immediately to disengage and cease all hostilities to enable a permanent ceasefire to be negotiated. Only when violence has ceased will it be possible to begin to negotiate a peace that will last.

We call upon all people of faith to pray for all caught up in the conflict. We also call upon the international community and particularly the United States and the European Union to bring maximum influence to bear to end all violence immediately and to create conditions that will lead to a just peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

Statement from Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba

Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has added his voice to those calling for an immediate end to hostilities in Gaza. 

'Watching the news, I could not help but join in the tears of Jesus, who wept over the land of his birth, and prayed for peace to reign' the Archbishop of Cape Town said. 

'Christmas reminds us that God took human form in Jesus Christ, vividly demonstrating the sanctity of all human life. This is not negotiable, and must be respected by all sides through an immediate end to violence. My prayer is that the tragic events of recent days will spur everyone in the region, and in the international community, to intensify efforts towards establishing a just and lasting peace in the land of our Saviour's birth.' He added, 'Christians who believe that Jesus came to be "Prince of Peace", and all people of good will, must work and pray for true peace to come not only to Gaza and Israel, but to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Somalia, and to everywhere where there is conflict.' 

Presiding Bishop of TEC joins call for end to Gaza attacks

Following a recent upsurge in violence in the Palestinian Territory of Gaza, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and other religious leaders have called for an end to the repeated rocket attacks from Palestinian militants and the continuing Israeli air strikes that are contributing to a severe humanitarian crisis in the world's most densely populated region.

"I urge a comprehensive response to these attacks," said Jefferts Schori, who visited Gaza in March to meet with religious and community leaders and tour the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, one of 37 institutions throughout the Middle East run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. "Since that visit, the situation, which was already devastating, has only worsened, with supplies of food, fuel, power, and medical supplies either cut off or indefinitely delayed. Our hospital must now try to treat the wounded under the most impossible circumstances."

Israel, which has reportedly positioned military tanks along the Gaza border, has said the recent air strikes and the blockade -- enforced since January 17 -- have been necessary to put pressure on militant Palestinians to cease firing rockets into southern Israel. But the Israeli attacks and shortages of essential supplies have created a humanitarian disaster in the region, where the unemployment level stands at 80 percent. According to Reuters news agency, more than 380 Palestinians have been killed in nearly four days of Israeli attacks on the territory controlled by Hamas.

"Innocent lives are being lost throughout the land we all call Holy, and as Christians remember the coming of the Prince of Peace, we ache for the absence of peace in the land of his birth," Jefferts Schori said in her December 29 statement. "Immediate attention should focus on vital humanitarian assistance to the suffocating people of Gaza." Also on December 29, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called on both sides to cease all acts of violence and urged Israel to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The Al Ahli Arab Hospital, which treats Muslims, Christians and anyone in need, dispenses free medical treatment and services. But Jefferts Schori heard in March that it struggles without electricity for several hours a day and it relies on limited fuel supplies to operate its generator. The blockade has also caused difficulties in bringing medicines into Gaza.

Anne K. Lynn, director of the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, a non-profit organization that supports the mission of the Jerusalem diocese and its institutions, described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as "overwhelming."

"The information we're receiving from the Al Ahli Arab Hospital is heartbreaking and requires immediate response," she said, noting that AFEDJ is in contact with the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the hospital to find out exactly how it can be most effective. Further information about AFEDJ is available here.

Suheila Tarazi, the hospital's director, has called the current situation a "catastrophe." She reported that in the first two hours of Israel's air strikes, the hospital received 45 injured patients, a third of whom were children, and 30 medical operations were performed.

In recent years, AFEDJ and Episcopal Relief and Development have provided critical financial assistance to the hospital as it struggles to serve the predominantly Muslim community in Gaza, where about 80 percent of the population live below the World Health Organization poverty line.

"Our hospital located in the heart of Gaza City is providing essential frontline medical and emergency humanitarian services to those coming or being brought directly to it -- and additionally is receiving patients transferred by UNRWA from the Government Hospital Al Shiffa to our Al Ahli Hospital for emergency, inpatient, and other surgical treatment of the wounded and injured," said Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem Suheil Dawani. "As a non-partisan well established hospital, we are receiving patients from all directions." Dawani said that all churches throughout the diocese will on Sunday, January 4 hold special services "for peace and reconciliation for those whose lives has been impacted by the Gaza conflict -- especially the wounded, injured and the families of those innocents who have died." A statement from Dawani is available here.

The patriarchs and heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem on December 30 issued a statement expressing deep concern and regret about the situation in Gaza and calling for Sunday, January 4, to be observed as a day for justice and peace. The full statement is available here.

Maureen Shea, director of Government Relations for the Episcopal Church, traveled to the Middle East in early December with a delegation from Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), a coalition of 22 Christian churches working exclusively on U.S. policy in the Middle East. The delegation was not allowed to visit Gaza but heard direct reports from the director of the Al Ahli Arab Hospital, Catholic Relief Services and the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for the Palestinian territories (OCHA).

"News from the media, in light of reporters not being allowed into Gaza, has understandably concentrated on the lack of humanitarian supplies because of closures at the checkpoints," said Shea, chair of CMEP, noting that a representative of OCHA explained how Gaza had gone from being a poor nation to an internationally supported welfare state with almost 80% of residents living in poverty, and 900,000 of the 1.5 million population as refugees. "The crisis for Gaza is not only immediate but long term, thereby further reducing the hopes of those who live there. Tragically, the ferocious attack of the Israeli Defense Forces is most likely to lead to more violence in the future, not less."

CMEP sent a letter on December 29 to President George W. Bush, as well as a copy to President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, urging prompt U.S. action to end the Gaza crisis.

"As people of faith, we care deeply about the welfare of both Israelis and Palestinians and deplore the violent deaths of those caught in this conflict. We reject all justifications for the unconscionable Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza into Israel," the CMEP coalition said in its letter. "We similarly reject the Israeli response as disproportionate and believe that it is likely to strengthen extremists and undermine moderates in the region ... There must now be prompt action by your Administration to help bring about an end to the violence." The full text of the letter is available here.

In her statement, Jefferts Schori noted that a demonstration took place in front of the Israeli consulate in New York on December 28. "The demonstrators included orthodox Jews. All were calling for an immediate end to the attacks in Gaza," she said. "I join my voice to theirs and those of many others around the world, challenging the Israeli government to call a halt to this wholly disproportionate escalation of violence. I challenge the Palestinian forces to end their rocket attacks on Israelis."

Jefferts Schori also urged the United States government "to use its influence to get these parties back to the negotiating table and end this senseless killing" and said that President-elect Barack Obama "needs to be part of this initiative, which demands his attention now and is likely to do so through his early months in office."

Jefferts Schori concluded her statement by asking all people of faith "to join with the Episcopalians in Jerusalem who this Sunday dispensed with their usual worship services and spent their time in prayer for those who are the objects of this violence. I pray for leaders who will seek a just peace for all in the Middle East, knowing that its achievement will only come when they have the courage to act boldly. But they must do so now, before the violence escalates further. It is only through a just and lasting peace that the hope of the ages can be fulfilled, that hope which we mark in the birth of a babe in Bethlehem."

The Most Rev Dr Idris Jones, Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church

 “The escalation of violent reaction to the situation in the Gaza strip by both communities involved is to be greatly deplored. It must be clear that any improvement in the area will not be gained by force of arms but by peaceful and just settlement in the end of the day. The prayers of the church will be therefore with all those seeking to achieve a just and peaceful settlement and indeed seeking agreement over what both peace and justice mean to both Israeli and Palestinian populations.

“We pray too for those who have lost relatives and friends; the workers in hospitals and emergency centres - in as much as there are any left to function - and for all who have the power to make decisions that may lead to peace."