Jerusalem's Bishop Dawani seeks to rebuild confidence among U.S. supporters
Episcopal News Service. November 7, 2008 [110708-01]
Solange De Santis
Bishop Suheil Dawani of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem is visiting the United States for two weeks at the invitation of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, seeking to regenerate confidence in and support for the Middle Eastern diocese's humanitarian ministries.
"It is very important to restore the good image of the diocese. We want to work together with our brothers and sisters who pray and care for the work of the church in that land, to invite [visits from] dioceses with companion relationships. It is very important so we can work together to promote peace and reconciliation in Palestine, Israel and the Middle East," said Dawani in an interview with ENS.
He was speaking after a meeting October 28 at the Episcopal Church's General Theological Seminary in New York that included representatives of the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, the Episcopal Church Center in New York (including Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori), and bishops from the dioceses of Washington (D.C.), New York, Massachusetts, Olympia (in the Pacific Northwest) and Colorado. Los Angeles, Olympia and Massachusetts share companion relationships with Jerusalem, and Washington will become a companion diocese in January.
Dawani's trip to the U.S. from October 26 to November 11, is also taking him to Los Angeles for meetings with diocesan bishop Jon Bruno and other friends and Boston, where he had meetings with diocesan bishop Thomas Shaw and suffragan bishop Gayle Harris and addressed the diocesan convention.
During his approximately 18 months in office, Dawani has worked to maintain the diocese's 37 institutions that include hospitals, clinics, kindergartens and schools, vocational training programs and services for the deaf, disabled and elderly.
He also has coped with irregularities left by his predecessor, Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal. As previously reported by Episcopal News Service, the Israeli High Court ruled that El-Assal could not claim ownership of the diocese's Christ School in Nazareth immediately after his retirement on March 31, 2007.
The diocese, under Dawani, sued El-Assal after he formed an entity called the Amouta society and collected pupils' fees and deposited them in the society's account rather than the school's account. El-Assal had claimed in court that the school was a private educational project, not church property.
Speaking in New York, Dawani said the diocese spent about $2 million on its legal difficulties. In addition, he said, other financial issues included the case of an engineer who had been working for the diocese for a decade and was owed $600,000.
"There have been many financial questions, stemming from the last episcopate," said Jefferts Schori, adding that Dawani is seeking to make the diocese's operations transparent. Referring to a trip to Jerusalem during Holy Week last spring, Jefferts Schori said at the time she became aware that there are many different organizations interested in the diocese's work and "there is need for coordination."
Among the church entities that support the diocese are the American Friends, the North American Committee for St. George's Cathedral (in Jerusalem), Episcopal Relief and Development, the United Thank Offering and the Good Friday Offering. The UTO collects donations from Episcopalians and distributes grants to various organizations. The Good Friday Offering is also a church-wide collection, but is specifically for mission priorities in Jerusalem and the Middle East. Last March, Jefferts Schori presented a donation of nearly $159,000 to Dawani from the Good Friday Offering.
Dawani said he told the two dozen people at the meeting, which was closed to the public, that he would like to see all financial support steered through the diocesan office and overseen by the bishop. He said the system in Jerusalem follows the British system whereby the diocese owns all churches and institutions and is responsible for insuring the funding of all parishes and institutions.
"What we will do is have more coordination. When we receive funds, it will go to the institution (such as a hospital or school)," he said. Jefferts Schori said her office is taking the lead in coordinating support. She also noted that Dawani presented a plan for the diocese to become financially self sufficient in four to five years. It is currently running a deficit that is being addressed through the use of reserve funds, Dawani said.
"Part of our vision," said Dawani, "is that we have to have some investment projects." In Jerusalem, he said, the diocese owns a piece of commercial property in the heart of the business district in West Jerusalem that is being developed as apartments, offices and stores. In Amman, the diocese is leasing two plots of land to be developed as a business center.
The diocese includes 7,000 Episcopalians in Palestine, Jordan, Israel, Syria and Lebanon. In the last few years, as relations between Israel and the Palestinian leadership have deteriorated and Israel has imposed ever-tighter security measures, the diocese has experienced declining numbers of Arab Christians as many choose to emigrate.
Donors are concerned about "keeping the Christian presence in that land, keeping the living stones in that land. But if the violence continues, nobody will stay," said Dawani. He believes in a two-state -- Israeli and Palestinian -- solution for the area, with Jerusalem shared among Jews, Christians and Muslims.
The diocese is involved in work for peace, said Dawani, citing a program that brought children from the three Abrahamic faiths to Houston to meet and interact and build mutual understanding. Dawani was one of the founders of Kids for Peace in 2001. "We invest in education. It is important for us to understand each other in the Holy Land. The Anglican Church in Jerusalem is a voice of moderation bringing people together. It is also a living witness through hospitals, churches, schools. We can call it faith in action," he said. Many of the diocesan institutions serve anyone in need and in some cases the clientele is mainly Muslim, he said.
The diocese's work among the suffering Palestinian population impressed her when she visited last spring, said Jefferts Schori. "They are doing the work of Jesus, bringing the good news to people who experience themselves as being in prison," she said.
Currently, said Dawani, the diocese is preparing for a joint Christmas Eve service between Washington National Cathedral and an Anglican-Lutheran service at the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem.