Solidaritetsbrev til den Evangelisk Lutherske Kirke i Jordan og Det Hellige Land

Solidaritetsbrev til den Evangelisk Lutherske Kirke i Jordan og Det Hellige Land fra Folkekirkens Mellemkirkelige Råd:

Thank You Church of Denmark

Læs vores solidaritetsbrev og svarbrevet fra Biskop Azar i de to links herover, eller i teksterne herunder: 
 

Dear Bishop Azar,

In the Council on International Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark we continue to hear the call from our Christian sisters and brothers in Palestine and Gaza. As we follow the mes-sages from our international ecclesiastic networks, we are deeply saddened by the ongoing violence and suffering experienced by thousands in Palestine and Gaza in the last 1½ years and intensified in the last months due to the blockade of humanitarian assistance. These messages urge us as churches to rise up and follow Christ’s commission to peace and protection of the vulnerable.

We strongly condemn the politics which has led to the humanitarian crises targeting civilians and af-fecting vulnerable members of Palestinian society the most. We call for immediate humanitarian as-sistance to the huge number of civilians now experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, cre-ated by a cynical political calculation. Access to basic necessities such as water, food, medicine and healthcare is hindered, destroying the lives, living conditions, and futures for Palestinians living in Gaza.

From our perspective, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is also a moral and spiritual crisis. Ignoring the duty to protect people and the duty to secure safety of everyone – and in contrast actively hindering assistance to civilians – is undermining the moral integrity of the ruling Israeli government. The Pales-tinians in Gaza is suffering directly and physically from this ignorance, but also the Israeli people is affected by the afflicted violence although in a different form. Rhetoric and politics which dehumanize Palestinian civilians and serves to justify their sufferings and deaths becomes a spiritual problem in that it compromises the dignity and sanctity of the individual, even the most vulnerable and marginal members of a society. That we are witnessing a moral and spiritual crises becomes clear when im-pression is given, in word and deed, that Palestinian lives are worth less than others. As Christians we cannot remain silent witnessing this suffering and dehumanization but must call it what it is: a blas-phemy and a sin.

We encourage national and international political authorities to continue working to stop all forms of violence and atrocities and to work for just peace for all Palestinians and Israelis. Together with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and other churches in Palestine and Israel we ask that terror, violence and meaningless suffering must end and we unite in a call for sustained and faithful prayer by all for justice and peace.

Therefore, we point to the words of the psalmist: “For he [God] has not despised or scorned the suffer-ing of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help” (Psalm 22:24).

Prof. Dr. Peter Lodberg

Chair, Council on International Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark

Copenhagen, 19. May 2025

Læs vores solidaritetsbrev til den Evangelisk Lutherske Kirke i Jordan og Det Hellige Land samt svarbrevet derfra. Ligger i links herunder. 

Thank You Church of Denmark

To our siblings in Christ of the Church of Denmark,

On behalf of the entire ELCJHL, I want to extend our deepest thanks and appreciation for your continued prayers and your solidarity with our church and the other churches of Palestine. We especially appreciate and welcome your recent letter of solidarity.

We as a church and as a people are going through one of the hardest chapters of our history. Your words and actions of solidarity and support strengthen our partnership and uplift our mission in these difficult days. In a political and media landscape that does not recognize Palestinian humanity, we give thanks for our siblings in Christ who raise their voices on behalf of international law, humanitarian principles, and the rights of all God’s children. We join your call for national and political authorities to take action to stop the violence in the Holy Land and to achieve a just solution that ensures lasting peace.

We continue to pray for justice, a permanent ceasefire, the free flow of life-saving aid, and for peace that honors the humanity and dignity of all. Please continue to remember Palestinian churches and the Palestinian people in your advocacy and your prayers.

We look forward to welcoming you to Jerusalem any time you are able to visit. May God bless you.

Your Brother in Christ,

Bishop Sani Ibrahim Azar