Rev. Munib Younan, a Palestinian bishop, was elected President of the Lutheran World Federation on Saturday. The LWF, representing more than 70 million Christians in 79 countries, stood squarely behind the Palestinian leader with 300 of the 360 delegates’ votes cast for him.
Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land since 1998, Rev. Younan has worked tirelessly for reconciliation and nonviolent solutions to conflict. President of the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches, Rev. Younan also co-founded the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land, comprised of the two chief rabbis of Israel, the Chief Judge of the Islamic Court in Palestine, other Muslim leaders, and the heads of the local churches.
Author of Witnessing for Peace: In Jerusalem and the World, Younan has earned the right to speak about nonviolent solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. With a lifetime of ministry in the midst of conflict, Younan speaks and writes about the path of nonviolence, illustrating nonviolent principles with stories from his life and ministry.
In his acceptance speech, Rev. Younan called the church to dedicate itself to fighting “extremism and xenophobia, especially Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.” In a PBS interview in 2003, Younan called Palestinians to “understand the trauma of the Holocaust for Jews,” and called Israelis to “understand the deep trauma of occupation in the depth of us Palestinians.” Younan also stated that “Palestinians, Christian or Muslim, care for the security of Israel.” At the same time, he pointed out that the “security of Israel depends on the freedom and justice of Palestinians.”
Munib Younan, a rare leader cut from the same cloth as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, has demonstrated his ability to reach out with compassion for Israelis while at the same time standing firmly for justice for Palestinians. Lutherans have chosen a great man as their leader. May the world take note and stand behind them.
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For more info: Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., author of Soul at Work and The Soul of a Leader works with leaders in healthcare, business, churches, government and non-profits to help them stay true to their souls. Visit her website.
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