Tag: Faith

Every human being deserves dignity

A refugee standing in front of the Bell Hotel in Epping. Photo courtesy of The Guardian. newspaper

‘Every human being deserves dignity’: asylum seeker in Essex hotel calls for understanding

We are all rightly concerned about the situation in Gaza at the moment, not least because of the famine amongst the Palestinian people. This is something which has brought many nations and peoples to cry out against what some are calling acts of genocide.  Many voices are now speaking out about the plight of the Palestinians and action is in process.
However, huge though this situation is, it is part of something far greater which is affecting not only those in the troubled areas of the world – Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and the whole of Europe and North Africa – but all of us.
What is of the deepest concern is the state and plight of humanity as a whole.
At present in the United Kingdom, we have a huge example of this.

For whatever reason, we in Britain have become a destination for many of the refugees who, over the past few years have been forced out of their homelands by despotic and cruel Governments or those factions in countries who seek power over others.

In Britain we hear much of those who desperately try to cross The English Channel (or Manche,  if you are European)to what they perceive as freedom and safety. They have been forced out of places such as Syria, Yemen, North and mid-Africa, The Ukraine, and the far-east.
None of them want to leave their homelands but they have no choice. Many are educated and skilled people; all are seeking welcome, generosity, kindness, understanding, hope and love.
From most people in the United Kingdom they get a lot of that but there are also cruel, selfish and deeply hurtful people who are making some refugees’ lives a living hell.
This is being experienced here in Essex right now, though most of those who are creating the most difficulty are not from Epping or even Essex.

The situation has rightly frightened and threatened the Refugees themselves and one of them, who has been named Nabil to protect him, has written a letter to The Guardian Newspaper. On Monday 28th July, Ben Quinn published this letter and urges us to share it widely. From the hotel where Nabil currently lives targeted by protesters, he urges people not to resort to harmful stereotypes.
In the letter sent to the Guardian, Nabil said he had previously been attacked while out walking, and he called to be treated with “understanding and fairness” and for people not to resort to harmful stereotypes. Nabil’s name has been changed.
Here is the letter, which was written in Arabic and translated by the author using Google Translate, in full:

Warm greetings,

I am writing to you from a deeply human perspective, hoping to share a point of view that is often overlooked in public discourse and media coverage about refugees.
We, as refugees, are frequently labeled with harmful stereotypes – that we came only for benefits, that we live off taxpayers, or that we are uneducated or disrespectful. These assumptions hurt us, hinder our integration, and most importantly, do not reflect the truth.
I want to be honest: yes, there are some refugees who do not behave respectfully or who do not follow the rules of the host society. But those individuals do not represent all of us. As with any group of people, there are both good and bad – and it is unfair to judge the majority by the actions of a few.

I did not come here seeking wealth or running from poverty. In fact, I had a stable life back in my country, Yemen. I had a job, a house, a car, and everything I needed to live with dignity. What forced me to leave was not economic hardship, but persecution and fear for my safety and the safety of my family.
We refugees are not here to take advantage of the system. We are here to rebuild our lives, to work, and to contribute. We will pay taxes like anyone else, not to “drain the system”, but because we believe that mutual respect and responsibility are the foundation of any strong and united society.

This letter is not a plea for sympathy, but a call for understanding and fairness. I believe the media plays a vital role in breaking down stereotypes and presenting the truth. I hope you can be a voice for fairness and show the world that every refugee has a story – and every human being deserves dignity.

With sincere appreciation,
Nabil
From Yemen

[Published by Ben Quinn, Journalist, The Guardian Newspaper
with comment by Mr G]

Battered & Bruised but not defeated

Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum addressing the Church of England General Synod
in York on July 15th.

The address given by Archbishop Hosam about the situation in the Holy Land was so moving that the Archbishop received two standing ovations and was held deeply in prayer. This is the Report from the Anglican Commmunion News Service (ACNS) and other sources.

In his address Bishop Naoum said that hospitals continue to be bombed in Gaza, with medical supplies in short supply and a ‘horrifying’ system of food distribution, comparable to the dystopian series The Hunger Games, with three sites open one hour a day for two million people.
Calling for a restoration of humanitarian supplies including food and medicine, under UN supervision, Archbishop Hosam said there should be no targeting of civilians, especially emergency workers and medical staff.
He called for the release of all hostages and captives and a permanent ceasefire for the end of the war and rebuilding of Gaza – ‘not ethnic cleansing that is presently being discussed by the Israeli and US Government.”

As always,the church is committed to peace building and reconciliation – a message that he has repeated ‘time and time again’ – but these are ‘alien terms’ that people across both sides of the divide refuse to talk about or even listen to, he said.
“I realise that as a church we live and embody the gospel and we are not politicians.
However, we need to speak out in the face of injustices and be prophetic for the sake of our people and our calling as Christians.”

“I’m grateful for the (Church of England) House of Bishops’ statements that have been taking our story as Christians in the Middle East and especially in Jerusalem, very seriously.”

Archbishop Hosam spoke of his desire for peace in the region, for the humanitarian aid system to be reformed and for an end to acts which oppose the Geneva Conventions. He stated that, “Medical supplies are in short supply. The food distribution system is horrifying.

“Advocacy is urgently needed for Israel’s adherence to the Geneva Conventions, as its current practices are unacceptable.” He called for “no bombing of hospitals, lifting of the siege, restoration of humanitarian supplies, including food and medicine, under UN supervision, no targeting of civilians, especially emergency workers and medical staff and the release of all hostages and captives.” 
In the face of this, Bishop Hosam said that “We are battered and bruised but not crushed.”. As a Church we must be committed to peace and reconciliation and be deeply committed to our Lord’s teaching of Peace and Love. We are called to a ministry of presence and resilience and of support, sustenance and healing. The Church is call to be a source of hope in an hopeless situation, but where a church is wounded and constrained, we need the wider body of Christ to help us to be the church in brutal and damaging times.”

The Most Revd Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York in the Church of England, led a prayer for Archbishop Hosam at the conclusion of his address.

“Father, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We thank God for the faithfulness, friendship and ministry of our dear brother Hosam. We cry out to you for peace and justice in our world and especially in Israel, Palestine, in Gaza and in that whole region. We ask for the leading of your spirit, for the peace of your world. We ask this in Jesus’ name.”

In the words of Archbishop Hosam, with people around the world, we pray:

O God of all justice and peace
we cry out to you in the midst of the pain and trauma
of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.  
Be with those who need you in these days of suffering;
we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land.  
While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace,
we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples.
Guide us into your kingdom
where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children
for, to all of us, you are our Heavenly Father.  
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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The Most Reverend Hosam Naoum is the 15th Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, a role he has held since 2021. He was born in Haifa and grew up in Shefa’amr in Galilee.

The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem is home to about 7,000 Anglicans worshipping within twenty-eight different congregations. It is also responsible for more than thirty institutions, including hospitals, schools, clinics and rehabilitation centres. The Diocese is scattered across five separate countries or territories: Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.

[Compiled by Mr G]

My Lord and My God

St.Thomas shares his thoughts on the eve of his feast day. (July 3rd)
See: John’s Gospel Ch20. v. 24-29

I was not there when the Lord in Risen Glory broke the locked door
of the upper Room.
Brilliantly alive and carrying joy.
Resurrection Joy!

Full of a renewed sense of their call by God
my friends loved telling me what I had missed.
Had they made it up as a way of dealing with their grief?
Mourning takes interesting forms sometimes.
They were quite smug though so was it a but of one-upmanship?

Yet I wanted to believe them!
It was too good to be true, so I was filled with uncertainty.
That is when I doubted what they told me
and that moment was to define me
not just then but for all time.
I gave my name to all doubters.
Even those who did not share faith.

I don’t know what made me do it.
I really wanted to believe what my friends told me.
“Unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands…
I will not believe!”
My longing was so deep.
But with those words, I had missed the chance.
My heart was heavy, my soul seemingly cast adrift.

Eight days later we gathered again,
to pray; to break bread;
to find in each other’s company, a kind of solace.

Then, like a whirlwind of sheer light, HE came again.
He looked at me, not with sadness, or anger or in a dismissive way.
“Thomas”, he said, “my dear delightful Thomas. Always loyal,
always a bit too eager, always sure. Come here.”
He beckoned me to his side.

Gently, lovingly, he invited me to inspect his wounds.
“Don’t doubt Thomas. Believe!”

My inner spirit burst with joy, my soul reached out to heaven.
From the seed-bed of my praying I placed words around a thought
I had long been praying silently in my heart.
A praying which became so strong because I had wrestled with doubt.

It was a prayer that flowed from the deepest faith possible.
“MY LORD AND MY GOD!”

There! I had prayed it! Aloud!

People may still use my doubting to justify their unbelief but
I had reached beyond that into the very depth of my soul
and I said that word which is all Jesus needs
to lift us up into the beauteous light of eternal life.
Here, Now and Always!
Yes, Lord!

Jesus, our Risen Master, our Lord, Our God held me in his
radiant smile and looked around at all of us gathered there.
“I am indeed your Lord. I am indeed your God,
but never forget to tell people what I tell you now,
I love you.
I am your most loving friend!

{Mr G}

Humanity Cries Out!

Pope Leo XIV: ‘Humanity cries out and pleads for peace’

Pope Leo XIV appealed for an end to the tragedy of war, especially in the Middle East, and recalls that war only amplifies problems and creates deep wounds without providing lasting solutions.
“Alarming news continues to arrive from the Middle East, especially from Iran,” said Pope Leo on Sunday at the Angelus address.
The Holy Father’s words came just hours after US bombers struck nuclear sites in Iran, as Israel and Iran carry out strikes on each other’s territory.
“In this dramatic scenario, which includes Israel and Palestine,” continued the Pope, “the daily suffering of the population—especially in Gaza and other territories—risks being forgotten, even as the need for adequate humanitarian aid becomes ever more urgent.”
“Today more than ever, humanity cries out and pleads for peace,” he said.
The Pope said the cry for peace “demands responsibility and reason and must not be drowned out by the roar of weapons or by rhetorical words that incite conflict.”
Pope Leo urged every member of the international community to take up their moral responsibility to “stop the tragedy of war before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”
When human dignity is at stake, he said, no conflict is distant.
“War does not solve problems,” noted the Pope. “On the contrary, it amplifies them and causes deep wounds in the history of peoples—wounds that take generations to heal. No military victory can ever compensate for a mother’s pain, a child’s fear, or a stolen future.”
In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV expressed his hope for the din of arms to fall silent.
“Let diplomacy silence the weapons!” he said. “Let nations shape their future with works of peace, not through violence and bloody conflicts!”

[Devin Watkins. Vatican News]

{Mr G 23rd June 2025}