November 21, 2006
by Peggy Thomson

NAZARETH – The "forgotten faithful," as the Christians of the Holy Land, and indeed the entire Middle East, are often called, were recently the subject of a "traveling" conference of Europeans and North Americans that focused almost exclusively on their plight.

The Sixth International Conference of Sabeel, the ecumenical Christian organization founded to support and unite Palestinian Christians of every denomination, drew more than 350 participants from twenty-nine countries to the Holy Land, where the problems facing the region's indigenous Christians were addressed by a wide range of speakers, from internationally recognized scholars to prominent church officials to lay community leaders.

With 109 participants, North Americans made up the largest single delegation.

As an official partner of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Sabeel's goals are seen as a reflection of the PC(USA)'s long-held commitment to the beleaguered Christians of the Middle East, as stated in the resolution on the Middle East passed at the 209th General Assembly, which called for "Presbyterians who visit the region … to seek out the Christian communities, join with them in worship and become acquainted with their human rights struggles."

Sabeel was formally represented at the 2006 General Assembly in Birmingham, AL, and Victor Makari, the coordinator of the PC(USA)'s Middle East office, has described the denomination as a "staunch" partner of the Palestinian Christian ecumenical organization.

Both Makari and Douglas Dicks, a PC(USA) mission co-worker based in Bethlehem, participated in the conference, which began in Jerusalem Nov. 2 and concluded Nov. 9 in Nazareth.

Top representatives of almost every Christian denomination represented in the Holy Land put aside their frequent and often well-publicized differences to make an appearance during the Jerusalem portion of the conference.

At the opening session, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III spoke about the diversity of Christianity in the Holy Land. The following evening, the Latin Patriarch, Michel Sabbah, a well known spokesman on behalf of Palestinian rights who often serves as the voice of Christians of all denominations in the Holy Land, addressed the challenges that lie ahead for Palestinian Christianity.

The week-long gathering was unique in that it was an ambitious, "roving" conference, designed to allow delegates to connect with as many local Palestinian Christians and Christian communities as possible. After two days at the Notre Dame Conference Center in Jerusalem, the conference moved on to Bethlehem, Jericho and Ramallah before finishing up in Nazareth.

Commenting on the innovative format, Dicks said, "I think the roaming conference was a good idea because it got the delegates out into the small towns and villages."

The itinerary reflected one of Sabeel's long-stated aims, which is to connect with and support the dwindling enclaves of Christians located throughout the West Bank and inside Israel itself.

The Christian population in Israel and the occupied territories, including even traditional Christian strongholds such as Bethlehem and Nazareth, began to decline after Israel's creation in 1948 and then dwindled even more precipitously following the 1967 War, which resulted in Israel's occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

The conference took place against a backdrop of mounting tension following Israel's resumption of military operations in the Gaza Strip, which started the day before the conference began. In fact, while at Bethlehem University, conference delegates were confined to the university auditorium for the entire day after an incident the previous day in which Israeli army snipers reportedly shot and killed two youth, aged eighteen and nineteen, and demolished a three-story building near the Church of the Nativity. As a result, a planned visit to the church was cancelled and delegates to the conference were instructed not to even venture out onto the campus grounds.

The conference then moved from Bethlehem to Jericho, site of the Mount of Temptation and the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, where delegates attended Sunday services at the various Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Coptic churches located in Jericho and other nearby villages, including Ein Ariq, Bir Zeit, Jifna and Taybeh.

Then it was on to the impressive Ramallah Cultural Palace, built in 2004 with funding provided by the Japanese government. During the ride from Jericho to Ramallah, many delegates expressed shock at the magnitude and extent of the Israeli separation wall.

From Ramallah, the delegates traveled to various Christian communities inside Israel that are rarely visited by western Christians. These villages included Maker, Kufr Yassif, Mugrar, among others.

Later, in his closing remarks in Nazareth, the Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek, Sabeel's founder and director, told the participants that Christians in the Holy Land are currently facing numerous "internal and external" threats to their faith and to their very physical existence. In the face of these "red warning lights," Ateek said, Sabeel "does what it can to alleviate these dangers at the grass roots level."

A Palestinian Episcopal priest who formerly served as Canon of St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem, Ateek founded Sabeel, which means "the way" or "spring of life" in Arabic, in 1989, in an effort to promote a form of liberation theology specifically tailored to the unique challenges faced by Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land.

During a time when the pressures and challenges that would lead ultimately lead to the second Intifada were mounting, the fledgling organization set about trying to unify the often fragmented and polarized Christians of the Holy Land as well as to formulate a unified response to the ongoing Israeli occupation.

Sabeel's profile became even higher recently after South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu agreed to become the official patron for the organization.

In a reference to the long history of dissention among the various denominations in the Holy Land, Ateek said, "We must rise above our petty church interests in order to work for the good of the community in this land."

Ateek maintained that the theological controversies that have long existed within the Church have contributed to the rise of modern-day Christian extremism, which many see as a major threat to the survival of traditional Christianity in the Holy Land. "Today's internecine problems are aggravated by extremist Christians and especially by Christian Zionists who support the territorial ambitions of Israel and the rise of global empire in America," Ateek said.

Despite the many obstacles that Palestinian Christians, and indeed Palestinians in general, are facing, Sabeel's founder said that he believes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "is not a hopeless situation," In fact, he added, "I am one of those who is very hopeful."

Pleading for stronger ecumenism among often competing bodies, Ateek also called for the many NGOs, or non-governmental organizations, involved in relief work in the region to hold their own conference as soon as possible so as to better coordinate their efforts.

In addition to supporting and encouraging local Christians, Sabeel also promotes nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation while also working to establish and maintain positive Christian-Muslim relations.

Numerous International Friends of Sabeel chapters have been founded in Australia, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States to encourage Christians from around the world to work for a just end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The PC(USA)'s efforts include an extra commitment opportunity (ECO) account [at http://pcusa.org/worldwide/israelpalestine/giving.htm] to receive donations on behalf of Sabeel.

Presbyterian News Service