May 16, 2018 in ELCA
Bishop Eaton Responds to Gaza Situation
In a pastoral message, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton says “I am appalled and saddened by (Monday’s) escalation of Israeli military action against protestors in Gaza.” At least 60 Palestinians, including six children, have died and thousands injured in the violence. The ELCA “will support a planned medical mission from The Lutheran World Federation’s Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem to Gaza to assist the wounded.”
Eaton shared a statement by Bishop Sami-Ibrahim Azar of our partner church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL): “We mourn with the families of the dead and dying and pray for the recovery of the injured. We believe that violent actions against the Palestinian civilians will hinder the potential for peace and reconciliation efforts between Israel and Palestine and will only lead to more violence and bloodshed.”
“Always, but especially in this time of deep distress,” Eaton wrote, “I urge us all to join (Bishop Azar’s) call to ‘continue to pray, advocate and faithfully work towards a peaceful and just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.’”
Read the full letter: http://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/7931
