Priest from Holy Land visits London parish

Fr Fadi Diab with some Kentish Town parishioners, Brendan Metcalfe from FHL, and members of Christians for Palestine. Image: ICN/JS

Father Fadi Diab, Rector of the Anglican Parish in Ramallah, received a warm welcome when he visited the parish of Our Lady Help of Christians in Kentish Town on Saturday. Fr Fadi is currently on a visit to the UK hosted by Friends of the Holy Land.

Born and educated in the West Bank, Fr Fadi is a founder of the Youth Connection for Peace Programme, a member of the Palestine-Israeli Theologians Forum and the Palestine Advisory Council of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, co-author of Kairos Palestine document and board member on Kairos-Palestine. He has presented workshops at the World Council of Churches on the theological understanding of the Palestine Israeli conflict.

Fr Fadi began by thanking everyone present for their support. "It means a lot to know to know you care, Its means a lot to know we are not abandoned. We are all part of the Body of Christ. People who care."

The situation in the last few months has been "heartbreaking, devastating" for the people of Gaza and the West Bank, he said. But he pointed out: "This situation didn't start on October 7. The settler colonial project began more than 75 years ago. "Israel wants to take all the land and get rid of the people of the land…"

"In Gaza it is not a war against Hamas," he said. "Its a war against all Palestinians." In the West Bank (which is not run by Hamas) since October around 500 people, including many children have been killed in attacks by settlers and the Israeli army. 50 houses have been demolished.

Gaza at the present time "is another story" he said. "It is beyond imagination! More than 33,000 killed. 13,000 children. 7,000 women. Thousands more are missing under the rubble. Schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, universities, and most homes all destroyed." The population is now facing starvation.

"We believe human being were created in the image of God - to kill one person is to kill humanity."

Fr Fadi said there is an urgent need for "awakening" in churches abroad. "They are so often silent, shy or complicit." He said he is often surprised at how little many Christians know about the Holy Land.

But he was encouraged to see so many demonstrations taking place in the UK. "Its a process" he said. "It is our mission to challenge structures of injustice. God's plan is for every person to be treated equally. No one should be left out."

Fr Fadi went on to describe the desperate plight of Christians in the Holy Land. "We are facing an existential crisis - the decline of Christians in Holy Land. The place God chose to send the Messiah... This is the community that traces its roots back to the first Christians. They have been there for two millennium witnessing to the message of Jesus Christ - looking after pilgrims - but now most of them have left."

"In 1917 they were 17- 20% of the population. Today Christians are less than 2 per cent. 90% of Christians from Ramallah now live in US. There are less than 50,000 Christians in West Bank. All 900 Christians in Gaza have filed immigration applications."

80% of Christians in Bethlehem rely on tourism. For two years during the pandemic there were no pilgrims and people faced real difficulties. Now things are much worse. 100,000 Palestinians from the West Bank used to go to Israel to work. But since October they have had their work permits revoked. Now Israel is bringing in people from India and other countries to do their jobs, Fr Fadi said.

"The challenge for Christians is huge. Young people are fed up. They have lost hope... The Church, together with the UN and government provide all the education, health and social social care. To lose that would be really frightening. To think of the Holy Land without Christians is frightening."

Fr Fadi is Chair of the Holy Land Committee of Friends of the Holy Land, an ecumenical, non-political charity with a mission, together with other Christian charities is to secure a resilient and enduring Christian community in the West Bank, Gaza, Israel and Jordan - transforming lives through education, scholarships, medical and social care for the young and old, as well as food these days. Since the latest crisis, Fr Fadi said many people are on the "edge of collapse," suffering from depression and anxiety, and so Friends of the Holy Land has introduced trauma counselling programs.

"We feel this is a Kairos moment - to respond to the situation in every way we can - offering support and promoting peace and justice" Fr Fadi said.

During the Q& A afterwards Fr Fadi was asked what he would like to see UK churches do. He responded by saying that the UK is responsible for what has happened in the Holy Land on many levels, and so we should have a role in restoring justice. "The Church needs to put pressure on the government" he said. "The Church should be crystal clear about that... the. UK should not be providing weapons to Israel" he said.

Churches in the UK need to educate people more, Fr Fadi said. "I'm surprised at how little people know. This should be a central component in UK churches and all over the world.

Fr Fadi said we need to question where we invest our money. "There is no limit to educating people about ethical questions." And he pointed out the need for constant prayers. Three faiths have lived in the Holy Land for so many centuries, it can accommodate them peacefully, he said.

At the end of the talk, Brendan Metcalfe, director of Friends of the Holy Land reminded everyone that the FHL website has a section for prayers, as well as a news page "so we know what we're praying for." See: www.friendsoftheholyland.org.uk/

Earlier in the day Fr Fadi had met with the Archbishop of Canterbury. See: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/49353

He also had a meeting with Bishop Nicholas Hudson.

On Sunday, he preached at the 9am & 11am services at Southwark Anglican Cathedral and had a Q&A with the congregation. Watch the service here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTh7qHWPpJc&t=6s