| Jerusalem - An ecumenical prayer service for Jerusalem was held at St. Stephen's Dominican Cathedral on Nablus Road on Thursday, 24 September. The service was held in response to rising tensions stemming from Israeli policies towards Palestinian residents of the city.
The event was hosted by Sabeel, a Palestinian Christian organization that is dedicated to the concept of Liberation Theology.
Representatives from various Christian denominations of the Holy Land were at hand for the hour-long service, joined by local Palestinian Christians and members of the international community. Prayers were read in multiple languages, calling for the end of sectarian extremism that has dominated current events in all parts of Jerusalem in recent months.
Dr. Naim Ateek, head of Sabeel, delivered a homily in both English and Arabic, commented on the striking similarities of Jerusalem's ethnic and political tensions at the time of Christ and in the present. Individuals offering prayers called for Christians to avoid the temptation to claim Jerusalem as exclusively belonging to any religion or people, and to have faith in a time of persecution.
The Old City and East Jerusalem have been occupied by the state of Israel since 1967. Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized Israeli policies regarding evictions, Israeli settlements and continual harassment of the Palestinian population as a campaign to erase the Palestinian presence from the city. |
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