Press Release                                                           Click here for media coverage of letter
For Immediate Release

June 4, 2009

Contact: Warren Clark
202-543-1222
warren@cmep.org

(Direct Contacts for Key Signatories Below)

LEADING AMERICAN CHRISTIANS APPLAUD OBAMA'S SPEECH,
RESPOND TO HIS CALL TO WORK FOR HOLY LAND PEACE

A broad and diverse group of over fifty national American Christian leaders today sent a letter to President Obama on the heels of his historic speech in Cairo.

The message of support expressed gratitude for President Obama's efforts at reaching out to the Muslim world and for making Israeli-Palestinian peace a top priority of his Administration.  But it also expressed grave concern over the "deteriorating situation in the Holy Land" and urged the Obama Administration to make real and concrete progress in achieving a just peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Warren Clark, Executive Director of Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition of 22 national church bodies, praised the letter saying, "This ecumenical letter demonstrates strong support among a broad spectrum of the Christian community for bold U.S. action to resolve the conflict.  We applaud the President for his leadership, especially his hope for a day when Jerusalem can be a secure and lasting home for all faiths.  In the weeks and months ahead, we will be working to mobilize Christians nationwide in support of U.S. peacemaking efforts."

Bishop Howard Hubbard, Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said, "I am deeply inspired by the President's effort to bridge divides of culture and faith and to reach out directly to the people of the Middle East.  Confrontation only breeds radicalism.  For this effort at rapprochement to succeed, however, we need to see real progress on the ground towards peace with justice in the Holy Land."

Dr. Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor of Northland Church, said, "For too long the Holy Land has been viewed as a clash of religions and cultures, but religion must be part of any durable solution.  We're saying today that we're prepared to put our faith and resources behind that most important goal of bringing a just peace to Israelis and Palestinians--Jew, Christians and Muslim alike."

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said, "I welcome President Obama's strong commitment to pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace.  His belief that peace in the Holy Land is possible and his firm statements holding both Israel and the Palestinians to their obligations are heartening.  Indeed, urgent efforts are now needed to preserve the two-state solution.  We are ready to help support bold action by his Administration to finally achieve the peace of Jerusalem." 

The letter emphasizes the urgency of the current moment-that this may be the last chance for a viable two-state solution to the Holy Land's conflict, which the signatories view as critical to stabilizing the region and bringing justice to both Israelis and Palestinians.

Signatories are national leaders stretching from religious liberals to conservatives, including national leaders who have never made public statements on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and some who are confidants of the President. Catholic Bishops and Cardinals, Evangelicals, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, and historic African-American leaders representing millions of Americans joined this ad-hoc initiative.

A copy of the letter along with the list of signatories can be viewed online here.  

Contact Key Signatories:

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, Catholic Bishop of Albany, New York

Contact Ken Goldfarb: 518-453-6618, Ken.Goldfarb@rcda.org 

Dr. William J. Shaw, President, National Baptist Conference, Inc.

Contact Yvonne Drayton: 215-882-3765, ydrayton22@aol.com

Bishop Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

Contact John Brooks: 773-380-2958 

Dr. Chris Seiple, President of the Institute for Global Engagement

Contact Chris Seiple: 202-744-1381

Dr. Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland Church

Contact Robert Andrescik: 407-949-7147, robert.andrescik@northlandchurch.net

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