Religious leaders on political will for peace in Holy Land
Religious leaders in the Holy Land refuse to be discouraged by the current climate
of pessimism that shrouds the Middle East peace process. Though they admit there
are very real obstacles to overcoming hostilities, they believe that as the spiritual
leaders of the communities involved, they can make a difference. It’s a question,
they say, of the political will to involve them in dialogue:
“I hope the voice
of the Council will be heard more, even on a political level. We try to address both
the Israeli and Palestinians. Right now, we don’t have great links with the authorities
mainly in Israel. But I do think they need to listen to us, we are working for peace.
We hope we can work more together in the future. The Palestinian Authority are very
supportive and encouraging. The situation is far from hopeful at the moment but this
just means that we have to work even harder” says the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem,
Suheil Dawani, who is a member of the Israeli Council of Religious leaders who met
Thursday morning with the Pope.
He says. “This Council was founded four years
ago in Jerusalem. It is composed of Christian, Muslim and Jewish representatives.
Of course the five heads of the Churches, the Muslims and the Jewish Rabbinate, we
meet every other month and recently we have been working on a peace education curriculum,
which we hope will be accepted in both Israeli and Palestinian schools.
I
believe that peace will start only from the grass roots, the people. I mean, we must
teach our children how to live together and respect each other. There is a great
ignorance in the lives of the children and young people. They don’t know each other,
they don’t know their neighbours and I believe that this is the our most important
task for future generations
Listen to Philippa Hitchen’s full interview
with Archbishop Dawani:
Below
the full text of the Statement of the Council of Religious Leaders in Israel On
the occasion of meeting H.H. Pope Benedict XVI, this tenth day of November 2011, we
the religious leaders in the State of Israel affirm our belief in the Creator of the
Universe who directs His world with loving kindness and compassion and who calls upon
us human beings to live with one another in peace and dignity. The Council of Religious
Leaders express gratitude to His Holiness for this outstanding meeting, and holds
in esteem His activity to bring hearts together and to bring peace throughout the
world.
First and foremost, we reiterate our commitment to the sanctity of human
life and reject all violence, especially when this is done in the name of religion
- a desecration of the sacred. In order to maintain peace and mutual respect among
the different religious communities in our State, we must educate our children and
congregations accordingly and prevent any offense against the feelings or beliefs
of others. We inherited the Holy Sites from our forebears, and we are required
to preserve their religious sanctity and cultural significance. We do this, also in
the name of Israeli Law related to the protection of the Holy Sites. The unity and
special character of the Holy Sites must be protected from all violence and desecration.
It is the responsibility of the religious leaders to strengthen this approach and
to call on their communities to ensure that the Holy Sites of other religious communities
are not harmed. In accordance with the above, and in keeping with the commandments
and prohibitions of each respective religion, free access for believers to their respective
holy sites must be provided, and the empowered civil authorities must guarantee this. Our
religious heritages teach us that peace, doing justice, and righteousness are the
commandments of the Holy One Blessed Be He, and as religious leaders, we have a special
duty to be attentive to the cry of the weak in our midst and to work together for
a more just and fair society. We reiterate our commitment to do everything in our
power to fulfill this important charge, especially in the Holy Land, which is dear
to us all.
Offering our prayer heavenwards, we give thanks to the Creator,
who has enabled us to come together this day in order to work together to bring a
blessing for all.