Spokesman of the Orthodox Church in the Holy Lands, archimandrite Attallah
Hanna declared that U.S. President George Bush, his Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld, British Premier Tony Blair, his Foreign Minister Jack Straw have all
been deprived from visiting the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem.
This decision was taken to express the refusal of the Palestinian Christians of
the U.S.-led invasion on Iraq.
In a special interview with IslamOnline.net, Monday, March 31, Hanna described
both Bush and Blair as excommunicates, as they have turned a deaf ear to
several calls by the Orthodox Church and other churches before war erupted.
This indicates that leaders of the invading states did not
listen to the church, and hence, we deem them excommunicates and perverted.
Bush and Blair behave in an antagonistically to the Semitic Church that calls
for stopping the aggression and hostilities against Iraq, he added.
The Church of Nativity decided on Sunday, March 30, 2003, to excommunicate
Bush, Rumsfeld, Blair and Straw due to their military attacks on Iraq.
The decision was declared Sunday by Father Banar Teyous, representative of the
Orthodox Nativity Church during a march, organized by Orthodox institutions in
front of the Church, to criticize the U.S. British invasion of Iraq.
Father Banar Teyous said that U.S.-British invaders are war criminals and
children assassins and hence, the Church decided to excommunicate them.
The War Has No Religious Cover
The attacks undertaken by the alliance in Iraq is contrary to the instructions
and message of Christianity, Father Attalah said.
Such a war targets both Muslims and Christians and is in favor of the world
Zionism that seeks to promote the notion of religious and civilizational
struggle, he added.
We condemn the aggression and call for an immediate stop thereof, as what is
happening in Baghdad, capital of civilization, is extremely painful.
He expressed the sympathy of the Christian church with the Iraqi people,
underlining that there is no moral or religious cover for the deeds of invaders
in Iraq.
Hanna said that the excommunication decision is only a means to express
disapproval and strong condemnation of what is currently going on in Iraq. It
is also an expression of the Church’s sympathy with the Iraqi people.
The Church also declared its desire to put an immediate end to the war on Iraq,
he said.
Global Christian Campaign
Hanna unveiled the efforts and contacts made by the Oriental Orthodox Church
with several Christian churches the world over to organize a global Christian
campaign in coordination with the Islamic institutions in order to stop the
aggression that targets the Arab nation, the civilization and human values
stipulated under the heavenly scriptures.
Archimandrite Hanna called upon the whole world, Christians and Muslims, to
cooperate in order to defuse the Zionist and imperialist plans.
He said that there must be an Arab, Islamic and Christian cooperation with the
objective of boosting historical links among followers of both doctrines in
order to strengthen the values of dialogue and unity in the Arab world.
It is worth noting that the Church of Nativity is the first church on earth and
has a special importance for different Christian sects, as it was established
where Jesus Christ was born.
The Church consists of a huge religious compound that includes the church
building as well as a number of monasteries and other churches that represent
different Christian sects.
The Church is managed by three sects, namely, Orthodox, Earth and Franciscans.