Rev David Coffey Reflects on Pilgrimage to Bethlehem

It is said that Pope John Paul II once declared that two solutions were possible to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - the realistic and the miraculous. The realistic would involve a divine intervention, the miraculous a voluntary agreement between the two parties.

Doubtless an apocryphal story but it captures the political impasse of one of the longest running conflicts in the world. Caught up in this conflict are Israeli and Arab Christian Communities who feel isolated and forgotten and the purpose of the CTE pilgrimage was to show solidarity with the Christians of the Holy Land who live at the heart of this unending warfare, especially those who live in the beleaguered town of Bethlehem.

The early part of our first day was most bleak. First, the observation of the biblical scholar who told us: 'I have lived in Jerusalem for 45 years and these are the worst of times.' Then there was the dearth of visitors to the sacred sites. When we arrived at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre it was almost deserted. The last time I was in the Holy Land these sacred sites were packed with visitors. This underlined what was becoming a mantra of despairing voices: 'Where are the pilgrims? Why have they forsaken us? Look what is happening to the Christian community. If we go on declining at the current rate we will have virtually disappeared by 2015.'

The view of Bethlehem which modern visitors see is a world away from the one described by Phillips Brooks in his 19th century carol. This little town is not lying still in a deep and dreamless sleep while the silent stars drift by. The 24-foot-high security wall overshadowed all my senses as we walked towards the military checkpoint and I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness for the people on both sides of this wall. I felt a welling up of tears and a deep sense of grief for the bloodshed and violence; for the worsening humanitarian crisis in Bethlehem; for the absence of any visible political solution. For the unholy political mess in this sacred space we call the Holy Land.

I know the situation is complex and that the high wall reflects the legitimate Israeli security concerns; half the suicide bombers are said to have come from Bethlehem. But inside this walled community we came face to face with the injustice of the combined effect of the wall, land confiscations and the expanding 27 Israelis settlements in the Bethlehem district. 70 per cent of the population of Bethlehem now lives below the poverty line. Unemployment is higher than 60 per cent.

Our second day began with communion at 7am in a tiny cave-like chapel. The rhythmic patterns of prayer and advent scripture permeated the whole of the pilgrimage.

At the end of the day we gathered in the YMCA Shepherds Fields and under the night sky of Bethlehem we stood around a blazing fire as the Bethlehem Bible College Choir sang carols and we listened to the feisty words of welcome from their President, Bishara Awad.

It was a joy to meet some of the pastors of local Baptist and Free Evangelical churches. It is obvious that in both Jerusalem and Bethlehem these pastors are normally excluded from church leader gatherings and I sensed they were deeply grateful to have been included in our itinerary.

On our final full day we greeted a delegation from Open Bethlehem, the organisation that campaigns to focus world attention on Bethlehem's plight. Its CEO, Leila Sansour, presented each of the four pilgrims with a Bethlehem passport. In receiving the passport we pledged to be 'a voice for the voiceless' and promised to speak about Bethlehem on our travels and remember the people of this city who long to travel in dignity and freedom.

I am still processing the deep emotions that overwhelmed me on a number of occasions. The despair at the humanitarian crisis; the anger at the manifest injustices; the frustration at the apparent lack of will to seek any viable political solution; the sadness for the apparent exclusion of the evangelical churches from the regular meetings of church leaders. I recall the advice of my Rwandan friend, Bishop Alexei. He says whenever he feels overwhelmed he hears God saying to him: 'I am not asking you to do everything. I am asking you to do something. Do something significant for my Kingdom today.'

I am making the private pledge that my global ministry will fulfil the promise to be 'a voice for the voiceless' and speak up for the people of Bethlehem. If the Palestinian Christian family feels isolated then we need to respond to their request: 'Pray for Israel and pray for Palestine.

The fellowship between the four Presidents had been memorable. The level of trust and confidence and open sharing had gone beyond anything we have experienced in our quarterly meetings. We have discussed one or two initiatives we can take together that will make a significant contribution. We now need to make firm decisions on these initiatives.

There are good interfaith relations here in the UK, especially in the Council for Christians and Jews and the Christian Muslim Forum. The role of the Jewish- Christian- Muslim leaders in Jerusalem is unique, and we should be asking what the UK faith leaders can do to strengthen the contribution of the faith leaders of the Holy Land.

The stories of hope must be shared. We met people with inspiring vision on both sides of the conflict and their voices deserve to be heard. One person we met, Mitri Raheb, said: 'Don't sit on your hands and despair - instead plant Olive trees. They will give you oil for the healing of wounds; shade under which children can safely play; and branches to wave when peace comes.'

David Coffey
January 2007

This is an edited version of an article published in The Baptist Times on 11 January 2007.