November 11, 2004

CHICAGO - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), based in Geneva, Switzerland, paid tribute to Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat as a strong supporter of the religious rights and freedoms of Palestinian Christians and "always attentive to their place and importance in the Holy Land," according to a statement issued by LWF leaders Nov. 11.

Arafat, 75, died Nov. 11 in a Paris hospital. He was brought there Oct. 29 from Ramallah, West Bank, for treatment. A funeral will be held in Cairo, Egypt, before his burial in Ramallah Nov. 13.

In a public statement, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, LWF president and presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Rev. Ishmael Noko, LWF general secretary, describe Arafat - who dominated Palestinian politics for more than 40 years - as a leader who will be remembered in radically different and often contradictory ways.

While many considered him the personification of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination and independence, a freedom-fighter, heroic leader and father figure, others saw him as an implacable foe and obstacle to peace, Hanson and Noko said. They point out, however, whatever the divergent views about Arafat, "his death removes from the scene an indisputably pivotal figure in the political landscape of the Middle East."

Hanson and Noko noted that while the consequences of Arafat's death are unpredictable, it presents opportunity as well as risk. They called on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to grasp this moment as an opportunity to return to a renewed and active commitment to dialogue instead of violence.

"For the children of Abraham, both Israelis and Palestinians, there is no alternative to peaceful co-existence," they stressed.

They also called on the United States and the other members of the "Quartet" - the United Nations, European Union and Russia - involved in shaping an international policy toward resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to re-engage in the search for peace.

The LWF leaders offered their prayers for the LWF-member church in the region, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine) (ELCJ) and its bishop, the Rev. Munib A. Younan, as well as the humanitarian work carried out by the LWF Department for World Service program in Jerusalem and the West Bank. The ELCJ has congregations in the West Bank and Jordan. Younan is also LWF vice president for the Asian region, and will represent the World Council of Churches (WCC), Geneva, at Arafat's burial in Ramallah.

"We pray that they will continue to be strengthened for their witness and mission, and for their role as bridge-builders and peace-makers," the statement said.

The LWF is a global communion of 138 Lutheran churches in 77 countries representing 65 million Lutherans. The WCC is a fellowship of 342 churches in more than 120 countries.

The complete text of the statement from the LWF leaders is at http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/LWI/EN/1556.EN.html on the LWF Web site.

ELCA News Service
Information provided by Lutheran World Information, Geneva, Switzerland.