August 29, 2005

AMMAN, Jordan – Following an Aug. 27 visit to one of Jordan's holiest sites, Mt. Nebo, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson said people of faith who visit the site on religious pilgrimages can not only reflect on the past but who also look ahead to the future and "envision a way that the people of these lands can live together in peace with justice."

Hanson commented on several Middle East topics at a news conference here with Jordanian and Arab news organizations. He is here in his role as president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) prior to this week's LWF Council meeting in Bethlehem, West Bank. Speaking at the news conference were Hanson, who also serves as presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Chicago; the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), Jerusalem, and LWF vice president; and the Rev. Ishamel Noko, LWF general secretary, Geneva, Switzerland.

Mt. Nebo, high above Jordan, offers a panoramic view of the entire Middle East region. It is described in the Bible as the place where the prophet Moses saw the "promised land" but was forbidden to enter it. He is said to have died at or near Mt. Nebo, where today there is a memorial to Moses that has been excavated.

Regarding his visit to Mt. Nebo, Hanson told reporters, "Pilgrimages for me are not just stepping back into history, but they're looking into God's future which is God's gift to all of us. It causes us to ask the question: ‘How are we contributing to the future for all of God's people?' It was a very holy moment for me, to stand on that place and envision what God would want for God's people – all of God's children – which I believe is to live on this land with peace and justice for all."

Jordan's King Abdullah and the government are credited for trying to seek peaceful solutions to the complexities of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East. The Lutheran leaders came here to show support for the ELCJHL and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church here, and to meet with religious and political leaders to hear and voice hopes for regional peace.

"We came to Jordan first for encouragement, for a sense of hope, and because of your strong leadership in this important time in the world as we pray and work for a lasting peace in the Middle East, believing that peace in the Middle East will be the key to peace in the world," Hanson said.

The Lutherans commented on the "Amman Message," a statement issued by King Abdullah in November 2004. In that message to the world's Muslims, the king said he was determined "to ward off Muslim marginalization and isolation in the global movement of human society." He asserted that the world's 1.2 billion Muslims should be "full partners in the development of human civilization and in the progress of humanity in our age."

Thankful for the Amman Message, Hanson said Christians should join in it, "believing that together we can build a lasting and secure peace in the Middle East and in the world."

Hanson spoke to reporters of his involvement in an interfaith initiative for peace in the Middle East. The initiative involves Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders in the United States. In 2003 the religious leaders unveiled a 12-point plan addressing the governments of the United States and Israel, and the Palestinian Authority. The religious leaders called on the governments to follow the "Road Map to Middle East Peace," endorsed by the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union.

"We believe the United States must exercise a commitment to the Road Map and must be a fair participant in a balanced process of peace in the Middle East," Hanson told reporters. He added that he is "frustrated" with the United States for not taking a more active role in contributing leadership to the Road Map.

"The United States must exercise its power in a positive way to encourage the Israeli government to find a lasting, secure settlement of this conflict that is just and peaceful for the Palestinian people, as well as for the nation of Israel," Hanson said.

The Lutheran leaders also commented on the State of Israel's separation barrier, much of which has already been completed. Israel maintains it needs the wall for its own security from terrorism; Palestinians maintain the wall has unjustly disrupted their lives, separating them from their families, property and livelihoods. The LWF and the ELCA have both said construction of the barrier must be stopped and dismantled where it is built on land that has belonged to the Palestinians.

Noko said one reason he considers the wall to be "unacceptable" is that creates "enemy images. We can't live in a world that is saturated with enemy images," he said. Noko said the Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace, and both should invest in security for their neighbors to have security for themselves.

"A decent society can never be constructed when we build walls," Noko said. "We have to remember that these walls probably do not start on the physical level. They start in our hearts. The walls that are in our hearts need to be broken."

Hanson said the ELCA Churchwide Assembly this month endorsed a campaign, "Peace Not Walls: Stand for Justice in the Holy Land." The campaign and an accompanying ELCA strategy for engagement in the Middle East "is a strong condemnation of walls that become barriers to peace," Hanson said. "(A) just and lasting peace can only occur when there is justice and peace for the Palestinian people ... and a secure Israel."

When asked about the war in Iraq, Hanson reminded the reporters he was one of the first U.S. religious leaders to speak out against the war long before it started. The LWF also spoke against it, Noko said.

Hanson said he was concerned that if the United States remains in Iraq, imposing its will and extracting economic gain, "then we have not honored the Iraqi people." The Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds must determine what will be a lasting peace in Iraq and "must tell the United States when it is time to leave," he said.

Hanson concluded by telling reporters he fears that "religious extremists" dominate the news. "We are here to show another face of religion," he said. "I believe unity is God's gift and so is diversity."

When the Lutheran leaders travel this week to Israel and the West Bank for the LWF Council meeting, they plan to convey to Israeli and Palestinian political leaders the Lutherans' commitment to peace with justice. They also hope to seek support for Augusta Victoria Hospital, an LWF-operated health care facility in East Jerusalem that serves mostly Palestinians.

In 2002 the State of Israel took the LWF to court, seeking to void a tax-exemption agreement between the LWF and Israel. Israel won the case in a trial court; the LWF is appealing the ruling. If it stands the LWF could be held liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars in employers' taxes, and payment would financially threaten the hospital's future.

ELCA News Service