At the invitation and
in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan,
Patron of RIIFS, His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic
Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, delivered a lecture at the Orthodox Club
in Amman entitled ‘A time for opportunity and hope in the Middle East.’ The
lecture was also attended by Dr. Mohammad Nouh Al Qudah, Jordanian Minister for Awqaf Islamic Affairs and Holy Places, numerous
Church and Muslim leaders, diplomats, academics, legal and Middle East experts,
and members of the Club.
Bishop Angaelos addressed the opportunity for a
new narrative concerning the Middle East, saying:
“This is an opportunity for us as civic and religious leaders to change
the narrative and the expectation that the world has of the Middle East. Many
now have no expectation of the region except that the situation will go from
bad to worse, and that initiatives will be met with greater failure. We know
however, because of our Faith, that there is always hope in humanity, and we
must build upon that hope.”
Commenting on the role of religion in the
Middle East, he went on to say:
“Religion is seen by many to be the cause of the problem, but we must
challenge the view that religion is irrelevant and a cause of conflict, and
show that it is actually an essential part of the solution. We must continue to
address internal radical interpretations of religion, and create a nuanced narrative
and conversation to allow for freedom of choice, prosperity and dignity for
all. We must no longer aim to merely ‘tolerate’ those who are different, but
value and celebrate them in that difference.”
Speaking to the impact religious leaders can
have on the Middle East region, he said:
“We need to be hope in an increasing hopelessness, and light in an
increasing darkness. It is not enough for us to only lead in good times. Good
leadership is especially required at the most difficult of times. Not only is
it required, it is essential, because it is at those difficult times that
people look to a beacon, and they look to someone to follow.”
Paying tribute to Prince Hassan and the work of
the institute, Bishop Angaelos said:
“What is required of us as leaders, and what is seen here through this
Institute and through this initiative, through His Royal Highness and through
this Kingdom, is something that is new and welcomed. These efforts should not
only be spoken about, they need to be celebrated.”
Bishop Angaelos concluded with a call for
continued collaboration, saying:
“We are told in our Scriptures that we are the ‘light of the world’ and a
‘city set on a hill’ (Matthew 5:14) that cannot be hidden. Our world today
needs that light of hope that is able to conquer all darkness…The time has come
that we should not only react to messages of hopelessness, but that we become
proactive and take the narrative into our hands, demonstrating a new and alternative
model to the world.”
“…I thank God that we have this opportunity of interacting with love and
respect, and not mere tolerance…the message of hope is clear.”
Speaking of a recent visit to a hospital under
the care of Medecins Sans Frontieres in Jordan, His Royal Highness said:
“Yet again I saw the grotesquely disfigured, the amputated; a child who
saw his father and uncles killed before him, deprived of the capacity of
speech. The reconstructive process is not only of the physical framework of the
human but of the attitude. They tell me children are not always drawing
monsters, and bombs, but they are beginning to draw the sky and the sea and
green pastures. So I would like to pay tribute to the nameless people of many
nationalities, including many Jordanians, who have been dealing with the
consequences of man’s inhumanity to man.”
He went on to say:
“How many families, communities, nations, and regions have to be torn
apart before we finally wake up to the importance of change?”
*Ends*
*Ends*
***Lecture audio available here: http://bit.ly/21DbSdy***
