Video - Ecumenical Leaders from Around the World Affirm Their Support to The Palestinian People
An Online Visit to the Holy Land Held by WCC, MECC, ACT Alliance, and Caritas Internationalis
A Media Briefing On the Visit
In light of the difficult security conditions that Gaza and the region are passing through, a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Ecumenical Partners from around the world, including the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), ACT Alliance, and Caritas Internationalis, held an online solidarity visit to the Holy Land between 7 and 8 August 2024, as recent developments in the region led to the postponement of an in-person visit originally slated for 5-9 August.
This visit represented an opportunity to accompany the Member Churches and Ecumenical Partners, listen to their concerns and point of views, and raise their voices at a time when the war is worsening in the region, especially in Palestine, and emergency humanitarian needs are increasing at various levels. Therefore, the visit aimed to promote dialogue in order to restore justice and stability, and to remind the world of what is needed to achieve peace in the region.
The visiting delegation included His Grace Bishop Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, WCC Moderator, Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, WCC General Secretary, Mr. Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance General Secretary, and Mr. Alistair Dutton, Caritas Internationalis Secretary General, Dr. Audeh Quawas, Member of the WCC Central Committee and Executive Committee, Prof. Dr. Michel Abs, Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), and Mr. Erik Lysén, ACT Alliance Moderator.
In this context, the World Council of Churches (WCC) released a video media briefing, moderated by Mrs. Marianne Ejdersten, Director of Communication, and included the opinions and experiences of the participants in the virtual solidarity visit to the Holy Land. They renewed the urgent call to the entire world to take immediate action in order to achieve peace in the Holy Land.
Firstly, Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, WCC General Secretary, and members of the delegation, expressed their regret over the postponement of the in-person visit to the Holy Land, but reiterated that the online solidarity visit still gave them a deeper, more profound understanding of local churches and people.
Rev. Pillay emphasized that “our intention was really to visit Gaza, given the realities of the situation there”. He said “One of the deepest impressions on me in this visit was the conversations with the people who are working in Gaza. I think this created a deeper understanding of what was taking place. The world needs to stop, to listen, and the international communities need to respond more. It was deep, profound, and powerful in terms of realizing the need to get involved—and to get involved with significant change.”
For his part, Prof. Dr. Michel Abs, Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), described the visit as one founded in love with a message of hope to the whole world. He pointed out that the visit constituted “a sign of solidarity, a sign of love from the international community towards the people of the area who have been suffering for a long time as a result of wars and political, security, social and economic crises. This visit is done by people of faith and of love who are coming to bring hope to the people who sometimes are not seeing any more horizon for the future.”
In turn, Mr. Alistair Dutton, Caritas Internationalis Secretary General, explained that the conversations during the visit were sobering. He said, " We can’t talk about their homes anymore—they left those long ago and now they are just moving from place to place in the Gaza Strip. The level of human suffering is outrageous."
Dr. Audeh Quawas, Member of the WCC Central Committee and Executive Committee, pointed out that the visit sent the message that people are still feeling what Palestinians are suffering. He added “peace must prevail—and peace must prevail according to international law. It’s time and it’s enough—and it’s more than enough—killing all those innocent people.”
Mr. Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance General Secretary, said he was “deeply moved by the shared experiences and local voices. The challenges they face are numerous and deeply interconnected. All of this is rooted in an unbelievable lack of humanity that perpetuates a long and illegal occupation of the occupied territories of Palestine. One of the most pressing challenges, I realize, based on our conversations, is the impact of disproportional warfare.”
His Grace Bishop Dr. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, WCC Moderator, stressed that the visit was an important opportunity for the voice of not only Christianity—but humanity. He continued, “We have seen and heard so many stories of suffering in these two days. It’s a matter of faith,” remembering the cry of [tolerance] of Jesus Christ who redeemed us on the cross, enduring acts of violence. He added “I heard this cry of despair in the stories that we have heard in these two days.”
It should be noted that the online visiting delegation was accompanied by a team from the World Council of Churches (WCC) that included Rev. Dr. Kenneth Mtata, Programme Director, Mrs. Carla Khijoyan, Programme Executive, Mr. Yusef Daher, Coordinator of Jerusalem Liaison Office, Mrs. Marianne Ejdersten, Director of Communication with members from WCC Communication; Mr. Albin Hillert, Dr. Marcelo Schneider, and Mrs. Susan Kim.
The online visiting delegation was also accompanied by the media team at the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), which included Elia Nasrallah, the Media and Communication Officer, and the Sub-Deacon Chady Chata, the Social Media Officer, as well as media and communications delegates from ACT Alliance, ACT Church of Sweden, Caritas Internationalis, and the Jerusalem Patriarchate.