Patriarch
Twal spoke next, affirming that the word "peace" must be used more often in the
Holy Land. Peace requires justice and forgiveness.
It's
not a question of who is right and who is wrong. We need sacrifice and
compromise. Our coexistence proves that peace is possible. We can create a
culture of peace, dialogue, and openness.
Through
education we can create cultures in which our children will study together and
accept each other. Peace is a gift of God. It means faith, respect, sacrifice,
love, and more. There is power in prayer.
We
must pray more and give more; God said that he wanted his children together in
the Holy Land. Charity is a language we can all understand. Peace is possible
if we all do what we need to do. Calvary is close to the church of resurrection
and hope.
We
must all come to Jerusalem as pilgrims to pray for the peace that we need,
which must be for all.
Christians
number a meager 2 percent in Israel and 3 to 4 percent in Jordan, the patriarch
said. We must all believe in the First Commandment: love your neighbor, even
your enemy. Be in touch with all peoples. Then go back and tell all those you
know of your experiences.
We
need your pilgrimage. Don't leave us alone.
*****
David
Smock asked all ten panelists why they were starting from the top instead of
the bottom.
Bishop
Munib Younan, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land
since 1998, said that there is more interfaith cooperation among the grassroots
than the "higher-ups."
Religion
must become prophetic and teach them to see God in the enemy, which is the road
toward reconciliation--respecting the human rights of all.
Education
is the only transformative power. The core of religion must be loving God,
neighbors, and the grassroots at any
price.
Canon
Bakkevig added that no blame game is needed. Leaders are needed to courageously
stretch out their hands to others and lead their own. They must teach
self-criticism, stepping back three steps and asking oneself who he/she is.
The
council must create an atmosphere in which people can see themselves through
the eyes of others.
Oded
Wiener, Director General of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel since 2001, analyzed
the Hebrew word for "responsibility" in terms of the letters that spell it.
What is my responsibility, my aim? How do I treat those around me? Can I obtain
the same objectives that my enemy has, accept the other? In the future
education will connect us to each other. We must set a personal example.
Dr.
Bruce Wexler, a professor emeritus and senior research scientist in psychiatry
at Yale University, said that he explained to Joe Biden their mission, to
change attitudes, to examine the depiction of others in schoolbooks. The
project consists of 50 percent Israelis and the other 50 percent, Palestinians,
reviewing each other's schoolbooks and developing new methods.
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