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Dr. Bernard Sabella, a Palestinian Catholic and noted expert
on the status of the Arab Christian population in the Middle
East, came to Washington, DC last week for meetings on
Capitol Hill and with the Administration.
Hosted by Churches for Middle East Peace, Dr. Sabella spoke
with policymakers about the importance of the Palestinian
Christian community in the Holy Land. Reporting on major
factors causing the decline of the Christian community, such
as economic deterioration in the Palestinian territories and
the political instability of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, Dr. Sabella stressed
the urgent need for a two-state peace agreement to stem
Christian emigration and improve life for all the peoples of
the Holy Land.
On April 23rd, Dr. Sabella was the guest speaker at a forum
titled, "The Decline of Palestinian Christians: Religious,
Cultural and Strategic Implications." The forum, held at
Georgetown University, was co- hosted by Churches for Middle
East Peace, Foundation for Middle East Peace, Holy Land
Christian Ecumenical Foundation and the Office of the
President of Georgetown University. Click
here to view the video of the event.
Dr. Sabella also participated in and led a workshop on
Palestinian Christians at the Churches for Middle East Peace
Advocacy Conference, April 20-22 in Washington, DC.
BERNARD Z. SABELLA, PhD
is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Bethlehem
University and an authority on the complex social, economic
and political issues of the region, especially the
challenges facing the rapidly declining Arab Christian
population. Living in East Jerusalem, Dr. Sabella is
currently serving as elected member of the Palestinian
Legislative Council, and he is Executive Director of the
Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees for the Middle
East Council of Churches. As an academic and educator, Dr.
Sabella has written and spoken about the political
socialization of Palestinian youth and their parents and has
worked with Jewish and Muslim colleagues on Israeli and
Palestinian textbook research. As a Catholic, he was invited
by the Holy See to participate in the Catholic-Islamic
Liaison meeting in the Vatican in 2004. Dr. Sabella was born
in Jerusalem and holds MA and PhD degrees in Sociology from
the University of Virginia. He earned his BA at Franklin and
Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa.
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Background and Links:
Video of Georgetown Event with Dr. Bernard Sabella,
"The Decline of Palestinian Christians: Religious,
Cultural and Strategic Implications."
FAQ's on the Situation of Palestinian Christians,
CMEP Background Sheet
Letter to Pres. Bush on Palestinian Christians,
Senators Kit Bond (R-MO) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV),
December 2007
Palestinian Christians Receive Attention and Reveal
Vulnerability, CMEP Newsletter, Summer 2006
Alarm Bells in the East: How to Save Christianity in
the Middle East, Drew Christiansen, SJ,
America, September 2006
Challenges to Palestinian Christians: Confirming
Roots as Christians and as Citizens, Dr. Bernard
Sabella, October 2005
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