They had a very constructive discussion about the situation in the Middle East and stressed the importance of rebuilding Iraq as soon as possible through combined efforts with the UN involvement as well as the Arab countries.
Easter sermons and messages from many Anglican religious leaders have, this year, concentrated on concerns for the Middle East and, in particular, Iraq.
St Philip's Chapel remains in shambles more than two months after Israeli soldiers bombed the church in the Al Ahli Arab Hospital complex, with repairs estimated at some US$25,000.
At the beginning of Holy Week, we stand with Jesus before the gates of a city. We know that once we have entered we shall be swept up in events that we cannot control and that will bring us to the very edge of what we can bear, as we walk with him to Calvary and the tomb.
Even ten years ago, few people would have thought the day would come when the peace of the world would depend so directly on the peace of Jerusalem. But for the last few months, with all the suffering and fear they have brought, it has been so painfully clear that without peace and justice for all the peoples of the Holy Land there is small hope of lasting reconciliation in the wider world.
"Building Bridges" was the title of a significant Christian-Muslim Dialogue Seminar that has just ended in Doha in the State of Qatar. Fifteen Christian scholars, led by Dr Rowan Williams.
Together with countless people around the World, we in the Middle East have been urging that war is not the solution to the situation in Iraq. Our hearts are deeply saddened, therefore, that war has broken out.
Churches across Scotland were today urged to strengthen their ties with Muslim communities in their towns and cities following the start of hostilities against Iraq. The seven bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church will, this afternoon, write to more than 500 of their own ministers and church leaders calling on them to "extend to our Muslim brothers and sisters our commitment to friendship and mutual respect."
A peace candle has been lit in the Holy House of the Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham following news of the outbreak of war against Iraq.
As I begin this message I want to first thank all who are supporting us at this time in Jerusalem, in aid of our schools, hospitals, and service institutions, together with all the support we offer throughout the church to those in need at this time of crisis locally.
As military action in Iraq commences we remember in our prayers all those whose lives are in danger throughout the Middle East.
With the threat of war looming over Iraq, UNICEF is providing special therapeutic food for over 400,000 malnourished children across the country in an urgent effort to bolster their chances of survival in the event of a conflict.
We have come to the Anglican Communion Mission Organisations Conference in Larnaca, Cyprus, to take counsel, learn and explore how to be more faithful to God's mission in the world today.
Anglicans throughout the world have been challenged to "raise up a new generation of children free from the scourge of HIV/AIDS." The call came as part of a statement issued at the conclusion of the Anglican Communion Mission Organisations Conference, held in Cyprus 12-18 February.
Mr Jarjour spoke of "two broken communities" in his region. The first was the people of Iraq, he said, had suffered for 12 years under international sanctions. "A war against Iraq will destroy the country and its infrastructure with the loss of thousands of innocent lives."
The looming prospect of a US led war against Iraq was much on the minds and hearts of Anglican mission leaders attending the "Transformation and Tradition in Global Mission" conference in Larnaca, Cyprus, 12-18 February.
Biblical and theological reflection are essential to mission, both on a personal and communal level, declared two very different mission practitioners at the opening plenary of the Anglican Mission Organisations Conference in Cyprus.
The task of renewing our vision for mission necessarily leads us to focusing on Jesus and His Cross. On the Cross Jesus Christ grappled with the issues confronting all human beings and societies and their shifting faiths and cultures, a situation that still exists today all over the world.
"Transformation and Tradition" is the theme of the Anglican Mission Organisations Conference under way in Cyprus, and some might think those terms, like change and continuity, are mutually exclusive. But a mission professor from South India used the Greek root word, "traditio," meaning to "hand over" or "hand on", to show that the dynamic essence of the word is essential to the transformative power of the Gospel.
The 120 delegates, representing almost every province in the Anglican Communion, have leadership roles in voluntary agencies, mission boards and church structures. They were invited because they incarnate in their very lives and work the conference theme, Transformation and Tradition in Global Mission.
The Synod of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf met last week and unanimously affirmed the following statement about Iraq:
I want to thank you for your many emails, telephone calls and faxes in support of the people of St Philip's Episcopal Church and Ahli Arab Hospital. Your support truly makes a difference to us, and is greatly appreciated.
"Your prayers are very much appreciated and truly make a difference in these difficult times," said the Bishop of Jerusalem, the Rt Revd Riah Abu El-Assal, in the aftermath of the bombing of St Philip's Episcopal Church and Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on Friday 24 January.
There is broken glass everywhere; on the floors, covering the tables, covering papers, on beds. The Christian leaders of Gaza have gathered to offer their support and condemn the bombing of St. Philip's Episcopal Church, located within the Ahli Arab Hospital compound. The Church is in the center of the hospital complex, and surrounded by buildings flying the Red Cross and Anglican flags. All day a steady flow of friends and visitors came to say 'Illhamdillah Salameh', 'thank God you are safe.'
Their robes may look different, but when it comes to working on behalf of the Holy Land's dwindling Christian population, the Heads of Churches and Christian communities in Jerusalem have become increasingly unified. Next week, these leaders and their churches plan to celebrate their common bond in Christ during the annual Week of Christian Unity. This weeklong series of prayer and worship services will commence at St George's Cathedral on Sunday evening.
"Stand your ground with truth buckled round your waist and integrity for a breastplate, wearing on your feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one." (Eph 6: 14-16)
Dear All,
Please find below some reflections and actions, which we have put together, in response to a demand from church leaders for something to use in Christmas services. As it is being sent out for use in a meditation slot, we assumed that it, will be used in a context of prayer. But if you wish to use it for yourself, then as always we suggest that as well as acting through letter writing, you could support all those suffering in Israel and Palestine and those working to help them through informed prayer also.
As members of the NGO Working Group on Israel-Palestine, representing religious and secular organizations from around the world, we join the United Nations in observing the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. We wish to express our grave concern about the continuous and unbroken violence that has claimed too many innocent lives in the Middle East. We condemn all forms of violence against all human beings. On this day of Palestinian commemoration, we lift up in protest the collective and individual violence of Israel against the people of Palestine.
by Nancy J Dinsmore
As Christians contemplate the miracle of their Saviour's birth during this advent season, the Revd Husam Naoum will be able to ponder a miracle of his own - surviving a near brush with death.
