Bishop Alan Gates and Bishop Carol Gallagher join with Episcopal and Anglican leaders worldwide in decrying the forced closure and evacuation of the Al-Ahli Anglican Hospital in Gaza on Saturday, July 7. They commend to the people of this diocese the statements from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and from Archbishop Hosam Naoum, as well as resources for prayer and ceasefire advocacy which may be found via the link below to Bishop Curry's statement, which reads in part:
"We stand in solidarity with our Anglican family, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, against the closure and evacuation of this vital diocesan health ministry. This action violates the dignity of already vulnerable people and is against international humanitarian law.
"Let us pray particularly for the safety of the hospital’s patients and staff—and those who had been sheltering at the hospital who are now displaced again.
"As a church, we again call for a ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to flow freely to all in need, and we pray for an immediate end to violence against civilian populations."
Full Statement from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
Statement from the Diocese of Jerusalem and Archbishop Hosam Naoum