Those Who Mourn
We share with you the following words from Fr. Paul Abernathy, on behalf of the FOSNA Board of Trustees:
We Orthodox Christians have for days heard of and seen the courageous witness of St. Porphyrios Orthodox Church in Gaza. We have seen this community in prayer as they offer comfort, shelter, and refuge to Palestinians who are suffering from indiscriminate Israeli military aggression as well as from the humanitarian crisis resulting from Israel's siege and policy of mass punishment. Today, we are now in great anguish upon hearing the initial reports that an Orthodox building belonging to this community was struck by an Israeli missile, with victims under the rubble. We have learned today that this is the price of a selfless, extraordinary, and beautiful Christian witness in the context of the continued Israeli slaughter of the Palestinian people. Days ago our beloved Patriarch John X of Antioch offered the following statement:
"In these circumstances, what can one say, when we see bloodshed here and there surrounding us? What is happening in Gaza first, this painful catastrophe, and what we are witnessing, is ultimately the cause of this displaced and expatriated Palestinian people. For many years now, they have been suffering from racial discrimination policies. I hope this catastrophic incident will awaken the conscience of the world officials, the concerned authorities, and the UN organization, to intervene quickly and stop what is happening. Perhaps the world would realize that a solution must be found for this cause, the cause of the Palestinian people."
Today as Christians, we fall down before the Lord in prayer, with the sorrow of this moment deep in our hearts. We renew our commitment to peace as we acknowledge that it is now time for a just solution for the Palestinian people. We are prepared for the hard work, not only in pursuit of justice, but also of reconciliation in the aftermath of this horror.
We ask our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us peace and have mercy on us all.
With hope in the Risen Lord,
Fr. Paul Abernathy,
Saint Moses the Black Orthodox Church (Antiochene)
Board of Trustees of Friends of Sabeel North America
The message of Sabeel is needed now more than ever. Please contribute as you can according to your ability.
We also share the following message from FOSNA’s dear friend and partner, Dr. Phillip Farah, a tireless advocate for justice and peace. In addition, Philip is active with Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP) and Global Kairos for Justice (GKJ):
My extended Farah and Jahshan families, along with many other Gaza Christians, lived in the Zeitun neighborhood which has been severely bombed during the ongoing massacres. St. Porphyrius has been at the center of al-Zeitun and of their lives.
My dad, his siblings, like other Christians over hundreds of years, were baptized at the beautiful St. Porphyrius.
Now, the church compound where hundreds of families were taking shelter, has been bombed. One of the compound buildings collapsed and there were several casualties.
As for al-Ahli Hospital, my great uncle donated the land and original building for a CMS (the UK-based Christian Missionary Society) clinic in around 1905. It later became the Ahli Hospital. I think it was the original building that contained the St. Philip the Evangelist Chapel, which hopefully survived today's bombing. (It was the target of an Israeli missile which damaged it in Israel's 2014 massacre in Gaza.)
St. Philip the Evangelist—who is credited with the conversion of Ethiopia, the first country that adopted Christianity—had a special connection with Gaza and is highly revered by Gaza Christians. I am named after him, as are many Gaza Christians, one of the oldest churches in the world. Several close relatives, including two of my great uncles, the daughter of one of them, and my uncle (my dad's older brother) worked at al-Ahli over the years.
Philip Jahshan, a prominent Christian community leader in Gaza, is a distant relative with whom I have kept in touch. I called him to check on his safety recently, and he was okay, but reported that his elderly uncle, Ziad Jahshan, died on Tuesday of a heart attack when a bomb fell next to his house.
The massacres continue …
An Appeal from former Heads of Churches in Palestine
Appeal for a Just and lasting Peace in the Holy Land
19/10/2023
“The angels of peace are weeping bitterly” (Isaiah 33:7)
As fellow Shepherds we add our voices to those of our Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches of Jerusalem.
We care deeply for every human life, whether Israeli or Palestinian, created in the image and likeness of God. We weep for all victims and offer our deepest condolences to all who have been bereaved or injured.
In less than two weeks tragically more than 1,500 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 1,000 children, as well as medical and UN personnel and journalists. We condemn unequivocally the indiscriminate killing of all civilians both Israelis and Palestinians.
We equally condemn the blockade against humanitarian supplies, the impeding of medical services, and the denial of water, food and shelter to two million displaced people in Gaza. This is collective punishment, which, together with the targeting of civilians, are war crimes in international law and the perpetrators must be held accountable.
Hundreds of families sought refuge in the Ahli Anglican Hospital in Gaza. Instead of protection and safety, hundreds have been killed and many more injured. It is the biggest loss of life in Gaza since 2007. And yet according to the World Health Organization there have been over 115 attacks on healthcare facilities by Israel in Gaza in the last two weeks.
What is happening in Gaza and the Palestinian Territories is not a military operation but a full-scale assault against the Palestinian people. There is no justification for yet another Nakba. We appeal to the UN and international community and those who consider themselves friends of Israel and Palestine, to use your influence to stop the ethnic cleansing, implement the rule of international law and uphold the fundamental human rights of Palestinians as well as Israelis, to live as equals with justice, dignity and security in their historic lands.
We ask God to open hearts and minds, so that we see the humanity in one another. Let us all be taught by God Almighty that justice, peace, and reconciliation are his perfect will for all then indeed God’s land may indeed become a holy land, in which all will praise God and live in harmony with one another.
“God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
+ Michel Sabbah, patr em. + Riah Abo El Assal + Munib Younan + Atallah Hanna
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Demand Immediate Ceasefire and Humanitarian Assistance in response to Gaza Hospital Bombing
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Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) is horrified at the Israeli bombing of Al Ahli hospital in Gaza that killed approximately 500 Palestinians. Yesterday, Israel bombed St. Porphyrius Church, where 400 Palestinian Christians were seeking refuge, killing 18 Palestinian Christians, 8 of them chilren. Bombing hospitals and places of worship are war crimes.
Now, Al-Quds Hospital has been told to evacuate. Israel has told them they are planning on shelling the facility, which is currently treating 400 patients and sheltering 12,000 refugees.
Email and Call to Demand Immediate Ceasefire and Humanitarian Assistance.
A Call for Repentance: An Open Letter from Palestinian Christians to Western Church Leaders and Theologians
“Learn to do right; seek justice; defend the oppressed” (Isa 1:17).
Please read, endorse, and share this new open letter from 12 Palestinian Christian institutions.
A Statement from the Sabeel Ecumenical Palestinian Liberation Theology Centre
Terrible violence continues between Israeli forces and armed Palestinian resistance groups, resulting in thousands of dead and injured on each side, including scores of civilian men, women, and children.
Please read and endorse Sabeel's statement below.
