January/February 2012, Pages 49-50
Waging Peace
Christians in the Holy Land
The first panel at the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF)'s conference on Oct. 29 addressed the current state of Christians in Palestine and Jordan. Father Drew Christiansen, editor-in-chief of the Catholic weekly America Magazine, moderated the discussion.
Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, began by decrying the "hatred and ignorance of the other" that occurs in the Holy Land. Discussing the main difficulties facing Palestinians, Bishop Shomali noted that in order to travel internationally, Palestinians must travel out of the Amman, Jordan airport, as Palestine has no functioning passenger airport. In addition, Bishop Shomali pointed out, despite comprising one-third of Jerusalem's population, Palestinians receive only 8 percent of the city's building permits. Christians today make up fewer than 1.5 percent of Jerusalem's population, the bishop noted, compared to 24 percent of the city's population in the 1920s. There currently are more Christians from Bethlehem living in Chile than in Bethlehem, he lamented.
Rev. Samer Azar, pastor of Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Amman, Jordan, discussed the position of Christians in Jordanian society. He cited as the biggest issues facing Christians in the Holy Land the rise of political Islam, the impasse of the peace process, the lack of religious freedom and the region's unstable political situation. Despite the fact that Christians make up only 2.5 percent of the Jordanian population, Azar noted that their rights are well respected and that they "coexist with Muslims at all levels of Jordanian society." Christmas is recognized as a national holiday in Jordan, he pointed out, and building permits for churches are easily granted. Azar also said that Christians are well represented in military and diplomatic positions, and hold 10 percent of the seats in parliament.
—Dale Sprusansky
