Dear brother George Carey ,

Allow me ,dear sir, to call you :"brother" because we are actually all brothers in Christ although I do not belong to your Church but I believe that all true followers of Christ are one big family.

Your words in your last visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority really touched me. I am sure you recall urging the Christians of the Holy land (Israel and the Palestinian authority region) not to leave but to "stay put, make your mark but share your message with the rest of us around the world."

You also expressed your genuine desire that "None of us want Jerusalem and Bethlehem to become Disneyland sites, we want this to be a place of living worship".

Thank you for your kind words but allow me to share with you some things that can be done to help Christians of the Holy Land not to leave.

1.Please pray for us. In the midst of this modern and busy 21st century life we frequently forget that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"(Heb.13:8).He is still able and willing to work in the lives of His people and prayer which is the sign of faith moves Him to act. As spiritual leader to 73 million Anglicans around the world-please ask the believers to mention the remnant of Christians in the Holy land in prayer at least once a year.

2. The political conflict in this Land is the main reason for the immigration of Christians to the West.This struggle needs followers of the prince of Peace Himself to work on resolving it.I urge you to take this role of the peace maker for such are "called sons of God"(Matt 5:9).To succeed in this role, trust from both sides is needed.I think you lack this trust from the Israeli side and there surely is place for improvement there..

3.Be careful not to export settings and divisions of Churches around the world to the setting in the Holy land. Every Country has its own and special conditions and circumstances.The Christian community in the Holy land as a whole is tiny in number and needs unity, so it can not live through divisions that are imported from abroad.

4. Please encourage your parish in the Holy Land and other Churches (as much influence on them you have) to follow Christ and love Him.I believe that this is the only way that Christians of the Holy Land will feel the special calling of Christ,which gives meaning to life.This calling will make the enduring of the hardships of this troubled Land easier.

May the Lord give you a special grace to be a blessing to your Church and to the Christians of the Holy Land


Your brother in Christ
Botrus Mansour
Nazareth,Israel