Anglican Communion News Service

by James Solheim

[ENS] Archbishop of Canterbury George L. Carey and Archbishop of Armagh (Ireland) Robin Eames made a sobering three-day visit at the end of July to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank and ended with an urgent plea for peace.

In a sermon at St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem, Carey said that he was "often distressed by anti-Jewish feelings just as much as I am distressed by anti-Palestinian feelings. As Christians, our journey compels us to deplore racism in any shape or form, and encourages us to engage with our society in a deep and meaningful way."

The archbishops met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority, visited sites of violence in Gaza and the area around Bethlehem, and spoke with those directly affected.

"Bombings, shootings, killings and all such violence serve only to extend and deepen conflict," Carey said. "Striving together to do justice - the justice that brings peace and reconciliation is a harder way, but the better way."

At a press conference following his meetings with Sharon and Arafat, Carey said that both leaders spoke very strongly about peace and hoped to work for peace and security for both sides in the conflict. "Both leaders have committed themselves to dialogue," he said.

Sharon told Carey that 75 terrorists were causing the suffering of 2.5 million Palestinians, adding that he sent a list of them to Arafat and urged him to arrest them.

Loss of pilgrims

At the end of the visit, Carey issued an urgent plea to the dwindling members of the Christian community in the Holy Land not to leave. "We want to urge you to stay put," he said. He said at a press conference in East Jerusalem that he and Eames had been "shocked and disturbed" with the situation facing the churches in the region. He also expressed regret that the violence was preventing Christians from around the world from making pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

"It is sad that recent conflict has led to cancelled pilgrimages," he said in his sermon. "It means we have lost opportunities to join our brothers and sisters here and to say we are still walking with you. So I want to encourage many Christian pilgrims from around the world to come. Come to the Holy Land and support the Christians, Jews and Muslims here who long and pray for peace."

Carey and Eames were invited by Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal of the Diocese of Jerusalem to "show solidarity with local Christians," as well as to "learn first-hand about the current crisis and the situation as a whole." Describing the visit as an opportunity to listen, Riah said that "listening to both parties is part of his mission for peace," so that "he will be able to contribute to making peace based on truth and justice."

In his sermon at St. George's Cathedral, Eames said that "we are privileged to come and present a symbolic presence, which says simply, You are not alone." Speaking of the violence and the desperate search for reconciliation in his native Ireland, he said that "trust is a very fragile component," that it is "challenged and destroyed and therefore on the building of the trust we hope to understand each other."