The year ahead brings a particular opportunity and challenge for the message of Justice and reconciliation to be applied. The negotiations which are beginning for a just settlement between Israel and Palestine will be assailed by many words and deeds aimed not at peace but at a continuation of the misery of the past decades. My prayer is that by the prayer and fasting which is at the heart of our religious practice, a just and peaceful outcome will come.
At the present time our religious communities face many challenges and many provocations. In this country there are those who speak maliciously about religion in general and often against Islam in particular; demonstrations in many of our cities are intended to provoke; and in other parts of the world the threat to desecrate scriptures is deeply deplorable and to be strongly condemned by all people. These are challenges that we must respond to with a consistent message: that we oppose collectively all such provocations and insist that there is no place in our traditions for violent response. In solidarity with each other we will resist all attempts to induce violence by a constant message of peacefulness and reconciliation.
How about a Rosh Hashana greeting?
In this country, there are 10 times the number of religious motivated crimes against Jews than Muslims. So even if Rowan Williams forgets…L’shana tova!
Robroy: Please find the text of the archbishop’s Rosh Hashanah greeting 2010 at his own website (http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/2985)
Is the Archbishop a Christian bishop? I applaud efforts to live with respect and harmony with others. But why is he issuing an Eid al-Fitr message? This is odd.
Imagine if he showed as much love, generosity and concern for his own traditionalists who now face annihalation in his increasingly liberal church
Of course there is a place in our traditions for violent response. What can he be talking about? Larry