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Published by SCOBA,
August 11, 2005
SCOBA
HIERARCHS ALARMED BY DIMINISHING CHRISTIAN
COMMUNITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST |
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We, the hierarchs of the Standing Conference of
Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA),
reflecting on the continuing Middle East crisis,
wish to express our concern and pain with regard
to the violence and threats of violence in the
Middle East.
We are aware that for various people, the land
Christians call the Holy Land is simply a
geography of holy places and holy sites to be
visited in memory of events described in the
Holy Scriptures. Often, this reverence for the
holy places is not accompanied by knowledge of
the continuous Christian life in the Holy Land
since the time of Christ. Paradoxically, some
Christian voices in the United States,
expressing a factually erroneous point of view,
even deny the presence of living and historic
Christian communities in Israel and in the
Palestinian Authority.
As a consequence of the violent confrontations
and the poverty and economic instability of the
Palestinian population, emigration from the
region continues and accelerates. Thus, the
entire Christian population, and especially the
Orthodox Christian population, is diminished
month by month. In demographic terms, within the
foreseeable future the Holy Land will be a land
of holy sites and holy stones, with the
Christian population reduced to the status of
mere custodians of these holy places, no longer
able to maintain a viable community life.
We appeal to all nations and persons engaged in
this crisis to take into account the concerns we
have expressed as they seek to travel on the
road to peace and democracy in the Middle East.
In reflecting on the violence and threats of
violence in the Middle East, and about the
rapidly decreasing Christian population, we read
with appreciation the report of the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCCC)
delegation which visited the Middle East early
this year. Under the title Barriers Do Not
Bring Freedom, the delegation expressed also
the concerns we raise in this statement of the
Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox
Bishops in the Americas. We appreciate this
expression of Christian solidarity. We appeal to
all Christians in the US to be mindful of all
the living Christian communities in Israel, the
Palestinian Authority, and the whole Middle
East, and to show this mindfulness in prayer and
in actions of solidarity.
From the above mentioned report of the NCCC we
wish to quote some significant passages:
"We are grateful to God for the witness to
Christ made by the living churches of the Middle
East from which we descend. We affirm the whole
earth is God's holy land, though of course the
land of Israel and Palestine holds particular
importance for us, for it is the land of the
Prophets and Our Saviour. We also affirm that
God's children are called to seek justice, to
break down the walls that separate them, and to
live side by side in peace...
"Our word is one of alarm and worry. Current
policies promise more war, death, and
destruction. We are deeply concerned for all
people in the region whether they be Jewish,
Christian, Muslim, or of other faiths. There are
far too many disturbing realities to give us
confidence. Not only should people everywhere
insist on and act for peace in the Middle East,
they must also pray fervently for the peace of
Jerusalem.
"We believe that American Christians must see
themselves as bridge-builders for peace and must
not abandon or forget all God's children of the
Middle East. We heard many pleas from our
Christian sisters and brothers to raise our
voices and work for a just enduring and
comprehensive peace. The rapid disappearance of
the Christian presence in the Holy Land and,
indeed, the entire region due to emigration is
alarming and can only be reversed if conditions
are changed for all the peoples of the Middle
East...
"We met with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim
leaders as well as with a wide variety of
missionaries, intellectuals, and political
officials including those of Israel, Palestine,
and the United States. Dialogue and
understanding between all faith communities is
not an academic exercise in the Middle East, it
is absolutely necessary for survival. We must
all work for a change of heart and a change of
mind that leads toward reconciliation and
harmony. We confess that the life of every human
being is sacred and that the violent death of
anyone is tragic.
"We reaffirm our strong support for Israel and
for its right to live in peace and security.
Israel has suffered from a long series of
suicide bombings, which we find reprehensible.
Our support of Israel goes back many years, as
does our support for justice for the Palestinian
people....
"We personally witnessed the devastating effects
of the Separation Barrier. Because it is being
built not on the 1967 Green Line but primarily
on Palestinian land, parents are separated from
children, husbands from wives, farmers from
their land, patients from hospitals, workers
from employers, and local Christians from the
holy sites...
"As people of faith, we affirm life. When
ancient olive trees are uprooted from the soil
in which they were planted, when access to water
is denied, when children's futures are
threatened, this does not lead to life in this
world as intended by God. Join us in prayer for
the peace of Jerusalem and in seeking justice
for all people of the Middle East.
Contact: SCOBA Office
8 East 79th Street
New York, NY 10021
Phone: 212-570-3593
Fax: 212-774-0202
Email:
scoba@goarch.org
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