A Tribute to the Presbyterian Church for its Principled Stance

The American Presbyterian Church recently voted in favor of recognizing the genocide in Gaza, a position also adopted by many churches and Christian spiritual authorities in America and throughout the world. While we express our gratitude to the Presbyterian Church for its humanitarian and ethical stance, and for adopting the Kairos Palestine document, we call upon and urge all Christian churches in our world to adopt this document and to clearly and explicitly declare principled humanitarian and ethical positions regarding the suffering of our people, especially in the afflicted Strip. Our appeal is sent from the heart of our holy city to all Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical churches in America and throughout the world. Advocating for an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people and siding with the justice of this cause should not be reduced to merely a political matter; rather, it is a profoundly humanitarian, ethical, and spiritual issue. We reject the use of ornate diplomatic language when discussing the suffering of the Palestinian people, merely to appease this party or that. The war of extermination and the pain and suffering of our people do not require diplomatic statements; rather, they require clear, bold, and strong stances aimed at achieving justice and freedom, ending the occupation, and calling for a true peace built on respect for human freedom and dignity. We hope that the Presbyterian Church's stance will encourage other churches to take similar positions, for silence is not permissible, nor is ignoring the suffering of this oppressed people. The Holy Gospel is full of verses that always urge siding with every oppressed, suffering, and tormented person. Christianity does not call us to silence when we should openly declare the values of our faith, our humanity, and the ethical principles we should advocate for. Siding with the oppressed Palestinian people is not interference in a political matter; rather, it is at the core of sublime Christian values and principles. The 'least of these brothers' of Jesus, whom the Bible speaks of, are the oppressed and suffering in this world, especially in Palestine, the Holy Land, and particularly in the afflicted Strip. Our appeal is directed to all Christian churches in America not to succumb to any pressure or blackmail from any party whatsoever. The Presbyterian Church, which we thank from the bottom of our hearts for its stance expressed in its recent statement, has stood in the right place in history and taken a position consistent with the values of the Gospel and its message in this world. And as we appreciate the positions issued by churches and Christian authorities in the world regarding the war of extermination, we call for these positions to be clearer and bolder. What we want from Christian churches in America and the West is to raise their prayers for Palestine, crucified like its Lord, and for afflicted and tormented Gaza. Light your candles with the intention of peace, and for the oppressed Palestinian human being, may this light illuminate the darkness of this world and change the face of humanity, so that it may be a face of greater justice, fairness, and solidarity with the tormented and oppressed human. Yes, we want your prayers, because we believe that the God we pray to and worship is indeed the supporter of the weak, the oppressed, and the suffering everywhere. And with prayer, we also want clearer positions. Do not be afraid of any political entity, for the prophetic voice that must come from church leaders must not take into account any political entities that may be annoyed by these positions. The prophetic voice of the Church must be committed to the values of Christian faith, without working to appease any political entity, for our first and last concern is to please God, and we do not care much if this political entity or that is pleased with us. The voice of the Church in the West must be a Christian voice par excellence, not afraid to speak the word of truth before any unjust authority. And I say to the churches and Christians in the West: If you want to be true Christians, you must reject the injustices suffered by the Palestinian people, and call for the achievement of justice and peace in a land from which justice and peace have been absent for many years. We are not advocates of wars or a culture of revenge and killing, for a human being, for us, remains a human being, whatever their religion, background, or skin color, for all human beings belong to one human family created by God, and when one member suffers, the whole body suffers. And we learn from our divine book that we must live joy with the joyful, and pain with the suffering. So we rejoice with every human being who lives joy, and we suffer with every human being who lives pain, suffering, loss, and deprivation. And Palestinians live pain, and they have been condemned to be besieged, their freedom violated, and they are targeted in their lives and in all the details of their lives full of pain, aches, and suffering. Thank you to the Presbyterian Church, and to all churches that speak the word of truth in these difficult times. And no matter how long it takes, truth must triumph over falsehood, and good must triumph over evil, and the oppressed Palestinian human being must enjoy the long-awaited freedom, for which they have made an enormous amount of sacrifices. * Archbishop of Sebastia for the Greek Orthodox