Jerusalem, Israel, Church Leaders Reject Christian Zionism and Outside Claims to Represent Christians

The leaders of the churches in Palestine have strongly rejected what they describe as the promotion of “Christian Zionism,” saying the ideology serves only Israel and warning of its harm to the Christian presence in the Holy Land. The leaders of the churches of Jerusalem also stated that they are the only ones who represent the churches and their communities.

In a statement, the churches said that the care of Christians in the land is entrusted to the apostolic churches, whose message has been carried out over the centuries. The statement said that recent activities by local individuals promoting ideas such as Christian Zionism were misleading public opinion, stirring up sedition, and damaging the unity of the flock. It warned against individuals and initiatives that claim to represent Christianity outside the official church framework, describing such claims as a distortion of public opinion and an injury to the unity of believers.

According to the church leaders, the efforts of these individuals had been welcomed by some political actors in Israel and abroad, whom the statement described as seeking to impose a political agenda that could harm the Christian presence in the Holy Land and the wider Middle East. The churches expressed “deep concern” at the welcome these individuals received at both official and international levels, saying such actions interfere in the internal affairs of the churches and disregard the pastoral responsibility entrusted to the Patriarchate and church leaders in Jerusalem.

In an interview, Archbishop William Schomley of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem was asked about the statement and which individuals it referred to. He declined to name them, saying he did not want to give them importance, but he warned about the danger of spreading the ideology. He said the church leaders had not named individuals but were critical of an ideology that defends one party and not the other, and grants a right to one party but not the other.

Schomley said Christian Zionism supports extremist Zionist thinking against the rights of the Palestinian people. He also said that those promoting it claim to represent Christian opinion, but in fact are a minority, and that the true representatives of Christians in the Holy Land are the church leaders. He argued that the ideology creates sedition against Christianity in a country that, in his description, holds moderate views on a desired solution to the Palestinian question.

Schomley said that visits organized by these individuals with Israeli officials were followed by statements or demands on behalf of Christians, such as calls to open a closed church or to obtain a particular right. He said such efforts were aimed at gaining legitimacy, and that they represent only themselves. He also warned that the ideology is present and influential, and that its promoters were misleading public opinion, including in the United States, which he said is significant because America has a role in the region.

On the future impact of these individuals’ activity, Schomley said they were creating local sedition and could mislead diverse public opinion. He acknowledged that many people know the truth and would not be affected, but said there is a group that is influenced by what it hears. He called for the churches to hold a unified position that does not listen to divisive voices suggesting that Christians oppose the rights of their people or hold double standards. He added that what is said in private is assumed to be said in public, and that this is what the patriarchs and church leaders do.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Arabic)