ELCA NEWS SERVICE
November 16, 2007
Lutheran Bishop in Holy Land Meets Former President Carter
07-194-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL),
met in person with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in Atlanta
Nov. 12 to discuss the situation in the Middle East between
Israelis and Palestinians. Younan was also invited by Carter
that evening to speak about peace and justice to an audience of
about 250 people who had been invited to the Carter Center to
view the new film about Carter's life, "Jimmy Carter Man from
Plains."
Younan, who returned to Jerusalem Nov. 13, had been in the
United States for several days with a group of Christian, Jewish
and Muslim religious leaders from Israel and the Palestinian
territories. They came to the United States as the Council of
Religious Institutions in the Holy Land, and met with several
members of Congress and religious leaders in Washington, D.C.
Younan continued on to Atlanta, where he preached and spoke to
area Lutherans before meeting with Carter.
Carter plans to visit the Middle East in January and said he
would visit the ELCJHL, Younan told the ELCA News Service in a
phone interview. In the meeting with Carter, Younan said he told
the former president of the plight of Palestinian Christians and
the Council of Religious Institutions.
"President Carter brought peace to Egypt and Israel," Younan
said. "We can cooperate with him in waging peace and human rights
for all people in the region."
The former president has good access to the media and the public
and could be an important ally, Younan said, adding that "the
message of peace and justice for all people (in the Middle East)
must be heard in the United States."
Carter wrote "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," a book that
drew criticism from some people for its assessment of the
conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Carter's experiences
in the Middle East are portrayed in the film, Younan said.
Reflecting on the U.S. visit to Washington by members of the
Council of Religions Institutions, Younan said "Lutherans are
seen as partners in peace and justice" in the Middle East. "They
have seen how much the churches are working with each other for
peace and justice." The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), met with the
council Nov. 5 in Washington.
Council members released a communique with their priorities
for peace. Members are meeting next week to discuss a plan to
establish rapid communication procedures to address and advise
government officials regarding protection of and access to Holy
sites before conflicts arise, Younan said. Other priorities
include promoting education for mutual respect and acceptance in
schools and in the media, and matters related to the future of
Jerusalem, he said.
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The full text of the communique is at
http://www.ELCA.org/advocacy/issues/middleeast/07-11-07-
communique.html on the ELCA Web site.
Prayer resources for Middle East peace -- including prayer
resources for the upcoming Annapolis peace conference -- are at
http://www.ELCA.org/peacenotwalls/pray/index.html on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
