From Richmond-The Anglican Church has a shrinking presence but robust ambition and sense of importance in the Middle East, the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem said Thursday during a visit to Richmond.
The church there can serve a vital role as a bridge in reconciliation efforts between the Jewish and Muslim communities, the Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani said in an interview at the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia's offices before a lunch meeting with members of the local Episcopal mission community.
Dawani's visit Thursday and today is an effort to renew the relationship between the dioceses in Jerusalem and Richmond. The native of Palestine is going to spend the weekend in Alexandria, where he attended the Virginia Theological Seminary in the 1980s, then return to Jerusalem on Sunday.
"The Christians, we are a bridge for others and we are a voice for reason in a region witnessing so many hardships and violence," he said. "So we have a role to play … (as) we focus very much on a ministry of reconciliation."
He said the task was harder than ever, with a Christian population that has shrunk from about 30 percent of the population of the overall total just after World War II to about 1 percent today.
More here-
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/sep/28/tdmain09-jerusalem-bishop-sees-vital-role-for-smal-ar-2240456/
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