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" With a resolute Christian faith that is predicated upon the teachings
of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and which calls for love, forgiveness and
fellowship, We express our deep sorrow at the painful events that occurred at the Haram al-Sharif on midday, 29 September 2000. We offer our
sincerest condolences to the whole Palestinian people in general and to the bereaved families in particular, and denounce the aggression of the
sanctuary of a holy place in Jerusalem. We consider that such a violation
is tantamount to a violation on any and all Christian and Muslim holy
sites, and affirm our solidarity with the Palestinian people, Muslims and
Christians alike, in defending their fundamental rights of worship and
prayer in Jerusalem. In so doing, We also reject any provocation against
the feelings of the faithful irrespective of its nature, shape or
presence.
We re-affirm hereby our Christian position, as we have done time and again in our previous statements, of the need to ensure the freedom of movement,
access, worship and prayer, as much as the need to put an end to
violations against all holy places in Jerusalem. We call for the
implementation of all relevant and binding resolutions that reflect the
principles of international legitimacy, and particularly those related to
Jerusalem, in order to secure a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for
the peoples of all the three monotheistic religions in the Holy Land.
'How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God's people to live together in
harmony!'
Psalm 133:1
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