Jerusalem
and the Middle East
Church Association

Bishop Mouneer and Bishop Derek lead the Palm Sunday procession in Cairo

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Obituaries

Archbishop's Christmas visit

Salaam and grace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and greetings from the Land of the Holy One.

We were delighted to welcome the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy- O’Connor, and other British Church leaders at St George’s Cathedral just before Christmas. The delegation had come on a four-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land in order to express their solidarity with the Palestinian Christians, especially at Bethlehem.

In a moving speech, the Archbishop of Canterbury said: “We are here on pilgrimage because we trust that 2,000 years ago an event took place here which assures us that prisons could be broken by the act of God, in whose sight all are equally precious; Palestinian, Israeli, Jewish, Christian and Muslim. And for whom all lives are so equally precious that the death of one is an affront to all.”

“We are here not to visit an ancient and interesting site; we are not here to visit a theme park. We are here to visit a place and a people which speak of the freedom of God to set human beings free. It is that Good News which teaches us the response to despair, and the response to the terrible conditions in which so many of you now live.

Pray for us in the western world that our faith may be strengthened by yours. Unlike the wise men who came from the east 2,000 years ago, we, the not very wise men from the west, have not come to pour out our gifts; we have come to receive the witness of your faith, your endurance and your hope; to receive the gifts of God. So pray for us, and we shall pray for you also.”

Ordination of the Revd Nael Abu Rahmoun

On December 30th I ordained the Revd Nael Abu Rahmoun priest at St George’s Cathedral, in the presence of Bishop Coadjutor Suheil Dawani and other priests. Nael studied in Rome at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) for five years, and has served St George’s Cathedral for the past year. He hopes to work in the field of ecumenism and pastoral care for youth. He sees his vocation in promoting the unity of Christians and interfaith dialogue, as he seeks to help people rediscover the true meaning of religion: “Religion has to serve justice, reconciliation, and peace. It must never be a reason for war and division, but rather, for dialogue and peace, especially in the Land of the Holy One."

Dangerous situation in Gaza

Despite a general sense of hopelessness among our people, we have continued to take our mission to sustain and preserve Christian presence in the birthplace of our faith very seriously.

The situation at our hospitals in Nablus and Gaza is precarious, since many patients are no longer in a position to pay their share of the costs for a hospital bed. In the event of a disaster, medical staff must be provided, and this will be increasingly difficult for our hospitals for financial reasons. In addition, operations on sick and wounded persons in the Gaza Strip are sometimes extremely dangerous. Many paramedics, doctors, ambulance drivers and nurses have been killed by Israeli troops.

Palestinian boy whose home was demolished by Israeli bulldozers

Installation of Bishop Suheil Dawani

Bishop Coadjutor Suheil Dawani will be installed as Diocesan Bishop on April 15th and we expect many friends from around the world will be present.

Under the auspices of Bishop Suheil and his wife Shafiqa, the second of three meetings to discuss the empowerment of women within the Diocese was held in January. Some 150 women participated in this major event.

Bishop Suheil believes the empowerment of women is an essential part of his future ministry. “Women comprise half of our parish and society and without them the work in our parishes would cease. Therefore, special dedication should be made to them for their essential contributions in all fields.”

My retirement, and thanks

Retirement for me in no way means retiring from work. The demand to travel and share our story, the story of hope, of pain, the story of death, the story of life, the story of war and conflict, and the story of peace and reconciliation - is great.

Thank you all for your wonderful solidarity, friendship and support for me. With your help new lights of hope are born here every single day, bringing love and life to birth. May the peace of the Lord be always with you!

Riah

Information on the Diocese of Jerusalem