WCC Offers Condolences to Palestine Following Arafat's Death
The World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed its condolences to the Palestinian people following the death of their longtime leader Yasser Arafat, on Thursday, November 11, 2004.
Arafat, who revered by his own people but despised by others, was the foremost figure in pressing for an independent Palestinian state. Although he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role in the creation of a peace deal that formally recognized Israel’s right to exist while granting Palestinians self-governance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, he has also been blamed for the derailing the peace accord by encouraging terrorism.
Despite the controversies surrounding his life – and death - the WCC sent a letter to the Palestinian Prime Minister Mr. Ahmad Qurei’ to express solidarity with the mourning nation.
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“On the sad occasion of the death of President Yasser Arafat, we extend our condolences to the Palestinian people and to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority. We also ask God’s comfort for the members of his family in this time of deep grief,” the letter, penned by the WCC’s International Affairs Commission, Mr Peter Weiderud, read.
The letter also recognized that Arafat’s ultimate goal of establishing an independent Palestinian nation was not completed, and that continued work would be necessary “until there is peace.”
Pope Shenouda III, a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church and a former president of the WCC, will attend Arafat’s funeral service, slated for Cairo, Egypt, on Friday, Nov. 12. Additionally, the Rev. Riah Abu El Assal, bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, and the Bishop Munib A. Younan, leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Palestine and Jordan, will attend the burial ceremony in Ramallah.
All three churches are members of the WCC.
The following is the entire text of the WCC statement, as released on Nov. 11:
Your Excellency,
On the sad occasion of the death of President Yasser Arafat, we extend our condolences to the Palestinian people and to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority. We also ask God’s comfort for the members of his family in this time of deep grief.
President Arafat will be remembered for bringing the Palestinian people together and for his unique and tenacious contribution to the cause of establishing their national home.
We stand with the Churches of the Holy Land to honour his commitment to their place in the Palestinian society, its affairs and its future. President Arafat often made sure to mention the church as well as the mosque as core institutions of Palestinian national life. True to the customs of mutual respect among his diverse people, he celebrated Christmas with the churches of Bethlehem as circumstances permitted.
On his long road as a leader, Yasser Arafat came to the recognition that true justice embraces peace, security and hope for both Palestinians and Israelis. His path has now ended, amid the rocks and thorns of occupation, at a distance from the goal he sought. As he is laid to rest the world will see - from the location of his final resting place - how far the Palestinian people must still travel together.
In solidarity with the Palestinian people, the World Council of Churches will continue to work for human rights, sustainable livelihoods, medical care and basic freedoms, in the days and years that lie ahead and until there is peace.
Yours truly,
Peter Weiderud
Director
Commission of the Churches on International Affairs
World Council of Churches
