A gaggle of Episcopalians participating in a pilgrimage organized by the Diocese of Connecticut is sheltering in place at St. George’s Faculty in East Jerusalem after the US launched an assault on Iran on February 28. The pilgrims had been in Bethlehem when sirens blared and are exploring choices to return to the US as swiftly as attainable.
“One of many objectives of this pilgrimage was to face in solidarity with our sisters and brothers within the Holy Land who frequently reside with the threats of violence and insecurity,” mentioned an announcement shared at 3:30 a.m. (EST) by Bishop Jeffrey Mello of Connecticut and the Rev. Ryan Fleenor, rector of St. Luke’s Church in Darien, Connecticut. Fleenor is coordinator of the pilgrimage.
“On this tense second, we’re proud to just do that—praying collectively as followers of the Prince of Peace for the peace of Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.”
In an announcement in regards to the battle, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe mentioned he had spoken with Mello, who advised him the pilgrims are protected. “I ask you to wish fervently for them and their protected return,” Rowe mentioned.
Based in 1920 as a theological college for Palestinian seminarians, St. George’s has turn out to be a hub for Anglican pilgrimage and research of the Holy Land.
In a video shared on his Fb profile, the Rev. Dr. Canon Donald Binder, chaplain to the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem and pastor of the English-speaking congregation at St. George’s, confirmed that the group is safely again on campus.
He additionally mentioned that West Jerusalem is underneath assault as Iran retaliates for the strikes.
In line with President Donald Trump, the target of the navy fight operations is to get rid of imminent threats from the Iranian regime, which he described as a “group of vicious, arduous, horrible individuals.” The U.S. navy dubbed the assault “Operation Epic Fury.” Israel had carried out the same preemptive strike hours earlier than the US confirmed its personal navy operations.
Israel’s Protection Ministry has declared a state of emergency all through the nation, and Israeli airspace is closed. The operations occurred in the course of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. On February 27, Trump mentioned he was dissatisfied with the talks.
“We’re not precisely pleased with the best way they’re negotiating. They can not have nuclear weapons,” the president mentioned.
In a pastoral letter shared on social media, Archbishop Hosam Naoum of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Center East mentioned the assault on Iran “strikes on the very soul of our Province of Jerusalem & the Center East.” Naoum oversees the Anglican Diocese of Iran, whose presence dates to Henry Martyn’s pioneering missionary work in 1811.
“Each single nation now engaged on this fight, and people bearing the brunt of the retaliatory strikes, resides inside our ecclesiastical boundaries,” Naoum mentioned.
“Our brothers and sisters within the Diocese of Iran are presently enduring the phobia of aerial bombardment; our members within the Diocese of Cyprus & the Gulf are witnessing the arrival of battle at their doorsteps; and our devoted within the Diocese of Jerusalem—extending throughout Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria—face an unprecedented risk of navy escalation.”
Naoum urged the church to interact in “unceasing prayer” and to stay “Bridge Builders” throughout this time. “Whilst diplomatic home windows appear to slam shut, the Church should hold the doorways of reconciliation open.”
Rowe mentioned he had deliberate to fulfill Naoum on February 28 or March 1 throughout his deliberate go to to the US. In his assertion, the Presiding Bishop advised that each the assembly and Naoum’s journey have been postponed.
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Dwelling Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has additionally appeared in Christianity At the moment, Broadview Journal, and Presbyterian Outlook, amongst different publications.
