Israeli Soldiers Release Lutheran Pastor in Bethlehem

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Three groups of Israeli Defense Force soldiers entered the compound of Christmas Lutheran Church, Bethlehem, April 4 and detained the Rev. Mitri Raheb, pastor of the church. Christmas Lutheran is one of six congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine) (ELCJ).
Beginning at 1:45 p.m., local time, Israeli soldiers went from room to room in the church compound for nearly two hours, according to an April 4 news release issued by the ELCJ.
When Raheb heard the soldiers enter church property, he telephoned the Rev. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the ELCJ, to alert him of the "impending danger to the property, to him and his family," stated the release.
Younan immediately made telephone calls to Israeli military and government authorities and various diplomatic corps, demanding that the soldiers be removed from the church property and that Raheb and his family be kept safe.
"When soldiers heard Pastor Raheb speaking in Arabic on his telephone, their treatment of him became more rude and rough, according to the pastor's account of his experience. He was then prevented from using the telephone," said the ELCJ release.
"A second commander arrived and ordered the soldiers out. He spoke kindly with Pastor Raheb and assured him that he and his family would be kept safe. The commander and some of the soldiers then secured broken windows and doors facing the street, so the property would be protected. The gift shop could not be secured because two tank shells had caused considerable damage," the release stated.
The soldiers left the church property at 4:10 p.m.
"The entry into Christmas Lutheran Church is one more sign to us that there must be a cease fire immediately," the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said April 4 in a series of media interviews.
Humanitarian concerns are important, Hanson said, noting that food, water, medicine and electricity have been cut off to residents of several West Bank cities. He called those conditions and invasions of church property by military troops "totally unacceptable."
Hanson wrote to President Bush April 2, urging Bush to use his influence to bring about an immediate cease-fire in the occupied territories of the West Bank and place an international presence in the area to establish and maintain peace. Hanson called on Bush and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to be "men of peace."
Stopping the violence should be the primary goal of all leaders involved in the conflict, he said. "When a Passover meal becomes a bloody massacre, when the site of Jesus' birth is turned into a place of violence, when religious sanctuaries become battlegrounds for war, people of faith cannot remain silent," Hanson said.
Although Bush announced April 4 he will send Powell to the Middle East, Hanson said Bush has not done enough to bring about a cease fire in the Middle East.
"I am disappointed President Bush has not exercised more leadership," Hanson said. "The U.S. government has been too complacent. We can assert much more leadership to bring about a cease fire."
"My deep concern for this situation has moved me to speak as loud as I can," Hanson told one reporter.
In an April 4 statement to the ELCA, Hanson called on the church's 5.13 million members to "pray fervently" for all people in the Middle East, and to pray for and write to elected leaders, urging them to use their influence for peace.
In response to recent armed conflicts in the Middle East, members of the ELCA sent $100,000 April 4 for emergency relief in Palestinian territories in the Middle East.
Funds from the ELCA International Disaster Response were sent to Action by Churches Together (ACT). Of the $100,000, ACT sent $50,000 for implementation by the Middle East Council of Churches and Near East Council of Churches Committee for Refugee Work in Gaza, and $50,000 to Augusta Victoria Hospital, operated by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The hospital, located near the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, is open to all people but most of its patients are Palestinians.
Coordinated through the ELCA Division for Global Mission, International Disaster Response helps relief agencies provide funds for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter and other materials and supplies. Funds are also used to rebuild communities and to repair structures destroyed by major disasters.
ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies that meets human need through organized emergency response. It is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and LWF in Geneva, Switzerland. The ELCA is a member of both the WCC and LWF. ELCA International Disaster Response sent $20,000 this week directly to the ELCJ for food, water, medicine and other supplies. -- -- -- The full text of Bishop Hanson's statement to the ELCA is available at http://www.elca.org/ob/0404middleeast.html on the Internet.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html