ELCA NEWS SERVICE
March 8, 2008
ELCA Presiding Bishop, NCC Leaders Express Sorrow over Jerusalem Shootings
08-027-JB
SAN MATEO, Calif. (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson,
presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), joined leaders of National Council of
Churches USA (NCC) member communions in a statement to
express shock and sorrow over the March 6 shootings at
the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem.
A Palestinian gunman, a resident of East Jerusalem,
entered the rabbinical school and began shooting, killing
eight people and wounding at least nine before the gunman
was fatally wounded by an off-duty Israeli Defense Forces
officer.
Hanson, who is attending the ELCA Conference of
Bishops meeting here, was one of five U.S. religious
leaders who could be reached March 7 to sign the statement.
Others who signed were the Rev. Michael Kinnamon, NCC
general secretary, New York; the Rev. John H. Thomas,
general minister and president, United Church of Christ,
Cleveland; the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of
the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),
Louisville, Ky.; and Bishop C. Christopher Epting, deputy
for ecumenical and interfaith relations, the Episcopal
Church, New York.
"We pray for all of those who have died, and for
their families and loved ones," the religious leaders
said in the statement. The leaders said they pray for
the other students at the seminary, "who will carry the
scars of this horror for the rest of their lives."
"This killing compounds our sadness over the recent
violence in Gaza and Israel. Acts of terror and reprisal
are abhorrent," the leaders wrote. "We are thankful that
it appears these events will not derail the peace process.
We pray that such tragic deaths not be allowed to inflame
more violence, but rather be a spur to redouble efforts
to reach an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire, and to all the
more vigorously pursue peace."
The U.S. religious leaders called on political and
religious leaders for Israelis and Palestinians to rededicate
themselves to working for peace, and to provide leadership
that is "so desperately needed for peacemaking to continue."
They also called on U.S. President George W. Bush and other
U.S. leaders to support both the Israeli and Palestinian
leadership, and to continue efforts for a "secure, just and
viable solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In addition to his role as ELCA presiding bishop, Hanson
is president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Geneva,
a global communion of 140 Lutheran churches in 78 countries.
LWF membership is more than 68.3 million people worldwide.
---
The full text of the National Council of Churches USA
statement is at http://www.ncccusa.org/news/080307jerusalem.html
on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
