Newly released WCC video addresses freedom of worship in Jerusalem

A newly released World Council of Churches (WCC) video addresses the importance of freedom of worship in Jerusalem and for the whole world.

Produced through the WCC Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, the video sheds light on ongoing threats to the freedom of worship, and discriminatory practices particularly against the Holy Land’s Christian and Muslim populations.

“Jerusalem is very important for the whole world, especially for Christians, because this is the place that divinity and humanity have their encounter. It’s a meeting place of Heaven and Earth,” reflects His Beatitude Theophilos III, Patriarch of Jerusalem. 

“We’ve been working very hard in order to keep and guard the special political, cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic character and status of the city of Jerusalem. The Status Quo of Jerusalem, multi-religious and multi-cultural, is under threat, this is no doubt. But this is what we are going to keep and guard,” Theophilos adds. 

WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay notes that Jerusalem is a city holy to the three monotheistic religions, and the World Council of Churches is committed to maintaining Jerusalem as a symbol of coexistence and peace.

“Repeatedly over the years, we have seen acts by the Government of Israel that deny Christians and Muslims equal opportunities to exercise their religious rights and freedom in Jerusalem,” he said. “As the World Council of Churches, we have consistently spoken up against initiatives that threaten the delicate historic set of relationships, rights, and obligations encompassed in Jerusalem’s Status Quo arrangements.”

Carla Khijoyan, WCC programme executive for peace building in the Middle East, reflected that Jerusalem must be a city where the dignity, heritage, and rights of all its inhabitants—Christians, Muslims, and Jews—are equally respected and protected.  “In these times of heightened conflict and suffering across the region, actions that restrict religious freedoms further inflame tensions and deepen divisions,” she said. “As the World Council of Churches, we affirm that true and lasting peace can only be achieved when justice, equality, and the shared humanity of all communities in Jerusalem, and throughout the region, are upheld and safeguarded.”