Arabic original here.
Metropolitan Khodr from Shoueifat: Prove that You are One with the Druze and also with the Muslims
Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Mount Lebanon Georges Khodr presided at the divine liturgy in the Church of Saint Michael in Dhour Shoueifat to bless the building of the Mitri Jirji Murr Social House net to the church. Celebrating with him in the service was the parish priest, Fr Elias Karam and Deacon Georges Shalhoub, with a crowd of parishioners and neighbors in attendance.
After the Holy Gospel and the offering of prayers and blessings for the building project, which is funded by Dr Georges Mitri, Metropolitan Georges gave a sermon in which he said, "I, the head of the Orthodox Church in this region, say-- we are one with the Druze monotheists. You must live this, not just as religious rhetoric, daily in social life, in the relations between families, in friendship and in love."
He added: "You Christians, prove that you are one with the Druze in this region, and also with the Muslims. If you do not do this, I do not recognize you. May the Lord help us all to remain one people."
Metropolitan Khodr from Shoueifat: Prove that You are One with the Druze and also with the Muslims
Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Mount Lebanon Georges Khodr presided at the divine liturgy in the Church of Saint Michael in Dhour Shoueifat to bless the building of the Mitri Jirji Murr Social House net to the church. Celebrating with him in the service was the parish priest, Fr Elias Karam and Deacon Georges Shalhoub, with a crowd of parishioners and neighbors in attendance.
After the Holy Gospel and the offering of prayers and blessings for the building project, which is funded by Dr Georges Mitri, Metropolitan Georges gave a sermon in which he said, "I, the head of the Orthodox Church in this region, say-- we are one with the Druze monotheists. You must live this, not just as religious rhetoric, daily in social life, in the relations between families, in friendship and in love."
He added: "You Christians, prove that you are one with the Druze in this region, and also with the Muslims. If you do not do this, I do not recognize you. May the Lord help us all to remain one people."
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5 comments:
A cry from the heart, although theologically unsupportable.
Theologically, I don't see it as being substantially different from the Epistle to Diognetus, which to my mind remains the foundational guide for Christian participation in wider society.
The Epistle is a fine example of early Christian apologetics, and has much to say about Christians being in but not of the world. His Eminence, however, goes much further. Mathetes, after his unflattering description of Judaism, does not say that we are "one" with them. Like Christ, we must love our enemies, return goo for evil, even be ready to die for their sake, but communion (one-ness) is only possible for those who are baptized into Christ.
I think civic unity is rather different from communion in the ecclesiastical sense.... Sayyedna Georges isn't admitting Druze to the chalice or giving them Orthodox marriages. That's not what's at issue here. A good analogy is St Nikolai of Japan encouraging the Japanese Orthodox to pray for the emperor during the Russo-Japanese war.
I am with His Eminence if he is talking about civic unity. I am sure you understand that his words could be read as suggesting more than that. May God unite all Druze, Muslims and Christians of good will for the good of their societies and countries!
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