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Jerusalem's Coadjutor Bishop-elect Outlines Vision for the Diocese

Episcopal News Service. October 24, 2005 [102405-02]

Matthew Davies

The Rev. Suheil Dawani was elected Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Jerusalem in June 2005. In an interview at his parish -- St. Andrew's Church, Ramallah, in the West Bank -- Duwani outlined his vision for the future and spoke about some of the political challenges that face the Episcopal Church.

ENS: Could you tell me about your background and the history of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem?

DAWANI: I was born in Nablus in the West Bank in 1951 and I was raised Anglican. After 1967, I did part of my education in Nablus. I went to Beirut and graduated in theology in 1975. After that, I came to Jerusalem and served the community of the Anglican Church. In 1976, we had the inauguration of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. From 1977 until 1985 I served the community at St. Andrew's Church in Ramallah and St. Peter's in Bir-Zeit. At that time I went to Virginia Theological Seminary in the United States and studied for my master's in theology.

After my graduation [from Virginia] the church moved me to St. John's Church in Haifa where I served the community for six years until 1992 and then I returned to Ramallah to serve this community for a second time. I was here for five years until 1997. By that time I was elected the general secretary of the diocese and I moved to serve the church at St. George's Cathedral ... in Jerusalem for six years. In 2004 I was moved for the third time to Ramallah. In June this year I was elected as bishop coadjutor of the diocese.

ENS: What are the responsibilities of a coadjutor?

DAWANI: Usually the coadjutor means that, little by little, I have to take over the responsibilities of this diocese. I have started working with some institutions here. The bishop has given me the responsibility to work with our hospital in Nablus and I am having meetings with the board. I hope that after my consecration I will take responsibilities regarding our parishes and the pastoral work.

ENS: How do you hope to lead this church in the future; what will be your mission priorities?

DAWANI: I will concentrate my work on youth, women and families. This is a priority, because our people need pastoral care, especially at these difficult times.

I hope to enhance the work of the institutions, so administrative work is very important. I am looking to cooperate with professional people who help me and assist me in these institutions.

We have to work regarding institutional regulations, which are very important and part of our structure as a church here.

Public relations are very important also. I am looking to strengthen our ties with the Anglican Communion, the central synod and with our partners in the U.S., in Britain, and anywhere we have an Anglican presence. Of course I would like to strengthen the work of St. George's Cathedral, because it is the mother church of the Anglican Communion, so I hope that we will have more people coming there and having direct contacts with the community in Jerusalem and other parts of the diocese.

Another priority is the centrality of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is very important and I will work to promote peace and justice in the city and to be sure that the city is open for all believers.

ENS: You spoke about strengthening the partnerships with the Anglican Communion. How can the international community help to serve the Palestinian people better?

DAWANI: When we have groups and churches come to visit the local communities this is very important. The personal contacts are really important. When they see that brothers and sisters have come to be with them, to worship with them. I think this enhances our relationship and our oneness in Christ. Also, [it will help] if we sponsor projects together as the Anglican Church in this country and this region. We have 35 institutions throughout this diocese, and they are very important and our arm of witness to Christ in this country. If we offer support together through these institutions it means we are serving the church and at the same time working in the ministry of healing and teaching and preaching the Gospel of our Lord.

ENS: There appears to be concern about the declining population of Christians in the Holy Land. Could you explain some of these challenges and how you intend to prevent the numbers decreasing?

DAWANI: The political situation affects the Christian community very much. The continuation of occupation in this country and the hardships that our people are facing as a result are an enormous challenge. Forty-five percent of our people live outside the walls of Jerusalem. We want to keep the living stones in this land and we are witnessing that many young people are leaving this country. They are looking for a better education and better future.

What the church in Ramallah has done is to start a housing project 10 years ago to help Christian couples stay here. If we can provide them with decent apartments at least we help them to stay in the country because here renting an apartment is very expensive. Also, if we support education locally we help our young people to stay in the country. We would like to support more, but the budget is limited in this regard. I hope in the future we can start a housing project for our young people in Jerusalem.

ENS: So you'll make education one of your key priorities during your episcopacy?

DAWANI: Yes, education is very important. If people are equipped with a better education they can serve the community and the church and they can have a better future for their families. This is a very important aspect of my ministry.

ENS: There is a wall surrounding Ramallah. What purpose does it serve?

DAWANI: Well, it is a political wall. I don't think it will serve the security and these walls are really dividing families and friends from each other. I don't think that these walls will promote peace and they will not maintain justice in this land, so I hope that the walls will be taken away in the near future. We are destined to live together as Palestinians and Israelis. We should work together to promote coexistence and peace. The church can play a great role in this regard because we see ourselves as a bridge for peace and reconciliation in this country, and this is part of our mission in this region.

ENS: Do you believe the wall will be taken down? It looks fairly permanent.

DAWANI: For the Israelis these walls are permanent, but for the future coexistence and a better understanding it must be taken away. No walls in these days must divide people and neighbors and I pray that it will be taken away and both peoples will live in peace together and as good neighbors.

ENS: Will there ever be a viable Palestinian state?

DAWANI: This is the hope of our people. After Oslo and after the peace process, people were very optimistic. I'll never forget seeing young people giving flowers to the Israeli soldiers and they used to put these flowers in their guns. I saw this in Bethlehem, I saw this in Jerusalem. It was really moving. Unfortunately, those scenes have gone away. So we still believe that an independent Palestinian state will help peace and it will calm down the difficulties in this region. But it needs to be a democratic one where Christians will fully have their rights as citizens of the state.

[Dawani will be consecrated at St. George's Cathedral, Jerusalem, on January 6, 2005.]

[thumbnail: The Rev. Suheil Duwani, b...]