Fr Nael Abu Rahmoun is the Vicar of Nazareth, at Christ Anglican Church in the Diocese of Jerusalem, and Honorary Canon at St. George’s Cathedral Jerusalem. In the lead up to November’s webinars on the Lambeth Call on Reconciliation, he spoke to the Anglican Communion Office about his perspectives on understanding and engaging with reconciliation as people of Christ in a conflicted world. Fr Nael is an advocate for peace, justice, and upholding the voice of young people, also serving as Youth Ministry Advisor and Coordinator for the Diocese of Jerusalem, and an Executive member of the Anglican Communion Youth Network.
Hope for reconciliation in a divided world
According to Fr Nael, the need for reconciliation stems from the divisions in the world. ‘This world is very divided,’ he says. ‘Each faith is divided into different denominations and the world is divided politically as well. So, I think it is always important to see the common things that we have, the shared things that we have. ‘Even within one community, or one family, sometimes people are not the same. They are brothers and sisters and are not the same… So, imagine the larger community and from one religion to another, from one community to another, we are all different, but we can always find something in common and sometimes more in common than what divides.’
Ecumenism and inter faith dialogues as a form of reconciliation
The Holy Land is a territory that has historically suffered much conflict, which continues to cause strain between different faiths and groups who see it as significant to the birth and practice of their faith. In his diocese within the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, Fr Nael shares that reconciliation is ‘a part of our daily life’ and that it’s ‘necessary more than ever to… understand the concept of reconciliation and try to live it.’
Fr Nael is active in inter faith relations in his setting and remarks that he loves working ecumenically with other churches in the area. ‘I always said we Anglicans are in the middle… so we can really connect people and we can be the bridge between different denominations.’ He shares that in Nazareth, there are ‘very good relationships and friendships’ between churches. While acknowledging that this can be challenging, he urges followers of Christ to try to ‘see the face of Jesus or the presence of God in other religions.’
He also emphasises the importance of ecumenism, ‘I think ecumenism is very important and part of our daily life and ministry as the church because I believe in one church… It’s very important to be open to everyone, to respect everyone and to learn from everyone.’
Working for the common good is important to him: ‘I think we need more voices to use their own faith and their own religion to take the principles… and positive things to be part of the solution and to share the best of their own faith for the common good and the transformation of society.’
Building trust as a form of reconciliation
Fr Nael remarks that the loss of trust between governments, groups of people and those involved in conflicts and the process of building it once it is lost, is often a challenge in reconciliation.
He says the challenge is ‘to rebuild this trust between people’ and consider ‘how to convince people in a simple way, that we need to gather again and to bring and gather more people… including religious people and leaders, to think positively about the future, about living together, about doing the work of justice and reconciliation and of peace together.’
Fr Nael speaks of the importance of working together for peace and justice, saying ‘we can’t do it by ourselves… we have to build positively on how we can find hope in the midst of all these disasters and this hatred… We need to find a light of hope and encourage people to do it together.’
How can Anglicans engage with the mission of reconciliation in their contexts?
The Difference Course was established during the ministry of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, in support of one of his core priorities: reconciliation. Fr Nael speaks of its contribution to reconciliation ministry, saying that The Difference Course ‘is one of the best courses that I have participated in.’ It is ‘helping a lot of people… to open their eyes to new ways of doing things’ and ‘thinking’. He explains that the course puts reconciliation as a ‘way of living and the way of doing ministry in the church, as a community, but also as individuals as well.’
Scripture as an inspiration for reconciliation
Fr Nael shares that he is inspired by the famous prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi, which says ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace’ and reflects that God’s peace is not like the ‘peace of the world’. It reminds us all that ‘we have to work on the peace of our hearts, the peace within our families, and then the community, the church and then the society.’ It reminds us that the ‘peace of God which passes all understanding, that is the real peace.’
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