A group of Palestinian Christians "in the absence of all hope, we cry out our cry of hope."
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Tuesday, 15 December 2009 09:13 Added by PT Editor maysaa jarour
West Bank,December 15, 2009 (Pal Telegraph) - A group of
Palestinian Christians representing a variety of churches
and church-related organizations have issued an animated and
prayerful call for an end to occupation of Palestine by
Israel. The call, issued at a 11 December meeting in
Bethlehem, comes at a time when many Palestinians believe
they have reached a dead end. It raises questions to the
international community, political leaders in the region,
and the churches worldwide about their contribution to the
Palestinian people's pursuit of freedom. Even in the midst
of "our catastrophe" the call is described as a word of
faith, hope and love.
Referred to as "The Kairos Palestine Document" the call
echoes a similar summons issued by South African churches in
the mid-1980s at the height of repression under the
apartheid regime. That call served to galvanize churches and
the wider public in a concerted effort that eventually
brought the end of apartheid.
The authors of the Kairos Palestine Document, among them
Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah from the Latin Patriarchate
of Jerusalem, the Lutheran Bishop of Jerusalem Munib Younan,
and Archbishop Theodosios Atallah Hanna of Sebastia from the
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, have raised the
challenge of the urgency for peace with justice to religious
and political leaders in Palestinian and the Israeli
society, international community, and to "our Christian
brothers and sisters in the churches" around the world. They
believe that current efforts in the Middle East are confined
to managing the crisis rather than finding pertinent and
long term solutions to the crisis.
Decrying empty promises
Expressing their pain, the signatories of the call decry the
emptiness of the promises and pronouncements about peace in
the region. They remind the world about the separation wall
erected on Palestinian territory, the blockade of Gaza, how
Israeli settlements ravage their land, the humiliation at
military checkpoints, the restrictions of religious liberty
and controlled access to holy places, the plight of refugees
awaiting their right of return, prisoners languishing in
Israeli prisons and Israel's blatant disregard of
international law, as well as the paralysis of the
international community in the face of this tragedy.
Rejecting Israeli justifications for their actions as being
in self-defence, they unambiguously state that if there were
no occupation, "there would be no resistance, no fear and no
insecurity."
They argue: "God created us not to engage in strife and
conflict but together build up the land in love and mutual
respect. Our land has a universal mission, and the promise
of the land has never been a political programme, but rather
the prelude to complete universal salvation. Our
connectedness to this land is a natural right. It is not an
ideological or a theological question only." They reject any
use of the Bible to legitimize or support political options
and positions that are based upon injustice.
Declaring the occupation of Palestinian land as a sin
against God and humanity, they steadfastly adhere to the
signs of hope such as "local centres of theology" and
"numerous meetings for inter-religious dialogue",
recognizing that these signs provide hope to the resistance
of the occupation. Through the logic of peaceful resistance,
resistance is as much a right as it is a duty as it has the
potential to hasten the time of reconciliation.
Asserting that this is a moment demanding repentance for
past actions, either for using hatred as an instrument of
resistance or the willingness to be indifferent and absorbed
by faulty theological positions, the group calls on the
international community and Palestinians for steadfastness
in this time of trial. "Come and see [so we can make known
to you] the truth of our reality", they appeal.
Poignantly, they conclude, "in the absence of all hope, we
cry out our cry of hope. We believe in God, good and just.
We believe that God's goodness will finally triumph over the
evil of hate and of death that still persist in our land. We
will see here 'a new land' and 'a new human being', capable
of rising up in the spirit to love each one of his or her
brothers and sisters."
The authors are:
� Patriarch Michel Sabbah
� Bishop Dr Munib Younan
� Archbishop Theodosios Atallah Hanna
� Rev. Dr Jamal Khader
� Rev. Dr Rafiq Khoury
� Rev. Dr Mitri Raheb
� Rev. Dr Naim Ateek
� Rev. Dr Yohana Katanacho
� Rev. Fr Fadi Diab
� Dr Jiries Khoury
� Ms Sider Daibes
� Ms Nora Kort
� Ms Lucy Thaljieh
� Mr Nidal Abu Zulof
� Mr Yusef Daher
� Mr Rifat Kassis - coordinator of the initiative
http://www.paltelegraph.com/diaries/featured-articles/3135-a-palestinian-christian-call-to-end-the-occupation
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and the darkness comprehended it not. The light of the body is the eye:
if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
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If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.