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'Get Your Hands Dirty,' Archbishop Challenges Audiences

He's not an imposing-looking man. But each time he took the podium, he didn't mince words, but neither did he belittle his hearers. In turn, the audience was often visibly moved.

Archbishop Elias Chacour, a Palestinian Arab, Christian and citizen of the modern state of Israel, brought his call for human understanding and practical response to the protracted conflict in the Middle East to the greater Harrisonburg area, Oct. 23-25. He addressed a service club, an interdenominational pastors group, students and faculty at two local universities and the broader community.

Elias Chacour (l.) talks with former EMU President Myron S. Augsburger of Harrisonburg.
Photo by Jim Bishop

In every setting during his three-day visit, Chacour underscored the critical need for active peacebuilding in his strife-torn region.

"Every time you take the side of one of the peoples here, you become just one more enemy to the other," he said. "What is needed are bridge builders who start in the middle to reach each side.

"Humanity today is waging war against an idea - against terrorism - that when responded to with violence only breeds more violence.

"Help stop the generalizations - calling persons radicals, fanatics, terrorists," Chacour pleaded. "Don't condemn an entire people because of the actions of some who act out of desperation in Palestine, in the Gaza Strip, in the refugee camps.

"Peace needs no contemplators," he told his audience. "It needs actors, persons who are willing to get their hands dirty, to be salt and light, connecting people with each other and to God.

'Rediscover what God has created'

"If I would have one message, it is for persons to look in the mirror and rediscover what God has created all of us to be - that includes reaching out to those we don't agree with, our enemies," Chacour said.

"We don't need more Christian groups coming to view the historic sites of the Holy Land," told an ecumenical gathering of church leaders. "What we need is your friendship, for you to stand in solidarity and to build bridges to people on all sides of this conflict, whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian.

"Go to your own Galilee and serve others, forgive them and help them live together in peace," he challenged.

Chacour, a three-times nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, is president and founder of Mar Elias Educational Institutions in the Galilee area of northern Israel. The school system serves 3,000 young people, aged kindergarten through college, from the major faith traditions in that area of the world – Muslims (52% of the enrollment), Christians, Druze and Jews.

Born in British-ruled Palestine in 1939, Chacour and his family became homeless in 1947 when all residents of their Christian-Palestinian village were evicted by Israeli authorities. Nonetheless, he said that "I have forgiven my Jewish brothers and sisters."

Archbishop in the Melkite Catholic Church

Last February, Chacour was elevated to the rank of archbishop in the Melkite Catholic Church, known for centuries as Eastern (Byzantine) or Greek Catholics. Since the early 18th century they have recognized the authority of the Roman Pope and have tended to follow his guidance in church matters. Yet they retain their own liturgical style and use the Arabic language or that of the local areas they serve.

As archbishop, Chacour is head of the largest Christian community in Israel with a flock of more than 50,000 members in the northern region.

Following a spirited speech to the Harrisonburg Rotary Club, Chacour received a standing ovation. Afterwards, an elderly man came up to him, gripped his hand, thanked Chacour for his speech and said, "I am a Jew. I agree with what you said." A standing-room-only crowd of EMU students, faculty and community people in Lehman Auditorium also gave Chacour a standing ovation and sustained applause.

Educating for peace has become Chacour's life commitment. He has worked to develop schools from kindergarten to university and professional teacher training in the small Arab-Israeli village of Ibillin, near Nazareth in Galilee. Today, Mar Elias Educational Institutions comprise over 300 faculty and staff, and serves more than 3,500 students, representing the Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Druze faiths.

The Mar Elias Peace Centre is the newest development within the programs of the Mar Elias University Campus. Its objectives in research, publishing and planning are to bring peace to the forefront of serious academic endeavor in support of cooperative programs between Arab and Jewish schools and to create practical models of resolution and transformation in conflict situations. It is an impetus toward making Mar Elias campus the first peace university in Israel.

Possible Faculty and Student Exchanges

Chacour and his colleagues are in conversation with the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU with an eye towards mutual cooperation and possible faculty and student exchanges.

Chacour has written two best-selling books, "Blood Brothers," on his life's journey and work, and "We Belong to the Land," which focuses on his education enterprises.

The prelate's visit and speaking engagements were sponsored by the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU with funding from Lilly Endowment.

Videos of Chacour's major presentations are available on DVD format by contacting Bill Goldberg of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at 540-432-4664; e-mail: .

— article by: Jim Bishop; posted October 30, 2006