A group of Episcopalians taking part in a pilgrimage organized by the Diocese of Connecticut is sheltering in place at St. George’s College in East Jerusalem after the United States launched an attack on Iran on February 28. The pilgrims were in Bethlehem when sirens blared and are exploring options to return to the United States as swiftly as possible.
“One of the goals of this pilgrimage was to stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the Holy Land who regularly live with the threats of violence and insecurity,” said a statement shared at 3:30 a.m. (EST) by Bishop Jeffrey Mello of Connecticut and the Rev. Ryan Fleenor, rector of St. Luke’s Church in Darien, Connecticut. Fleenor is coordinator of the pilgrimage.
“In this tense moment, we are proud to do just that—praying together as followers of the Prince of Peace for the peace of Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.”
In a statement about the conflict, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said he had spoken with Mello, who told him the pilgrims are safe. “I ask you to pray fervently for them and their safe return,” Rowe said.
Founded in 1920 as a theological school for Palestinian seminarians, St. George’s has become a hub for Anglican pilgrimage and study of the Holy Land.
In a video shared on his Facebook profile, the Rev. Dr. Canon Donald Binder, chaplain to the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem and pastor of the English-speaking congregation at St. George’s, confirmed that the group is safely back on campus.
He also said that West Jerusalem is under attack as Iran retaliates for the strikes.
According to President Donald Trump, the objective of the military combat operations is to eliminate imminent threats from the Iranian regime, which he described as a “group of vicious, hard, terrible people.” The U.S. military dubbed the assault “Operation Epic Fury.” Israel had carried out a similar preemptive strike hours before the United States confirmed its own military operations.
Israel’s Defense Ministry has declared a state of emergency throughout the country, and Israeli airspace is closed. The operations occurred in the middle of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. On February 27, Trump said he was dissatisfied with the talks.
“We’re not exactly happy with the way they’re negotiating. They cannot have nuclear weapons,” the president said.
In a pastoral letter shared on social media, Archbishop Hosam Naoum of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East said the attack on Iran “strikes at the very soul of our Province of Jerusalem & the Middle East.” Naoum oversees the Anglican Diocese of Iran, whose presence dates to Henry Martyn’s pioneering missionary work in 1811.
“Every single nation now engaged in this combat, and those bearing the brunt of the retaliatory strikes, resides within our ecclesiastical boundaries,” Naoum said.
“Our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Iran are currently enduring the terror of aerial bombardment; our members in the Diocese of Cyprus & the Gulf are witnessing the arrival of war at their doorsteps; and our faithful in the Diocese of Jerusalem—extending across Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria—face an unprecedented threat of military escalation.”
Naoum urged the church to engage in “unceasing prayer” and to remain “Bridge Builders” during this time. “Even as diplomatic windows seem to slam shut, the Church must keep the doors of reconciliation open.”
Rowe said he had planned to meet Naoum on February 28 or March 1 during his planned visit to the United States. In his statement, the Presiding Bishop suggested that both the meeting and Naoum’s trip have been postponed.
Caleb Maglaya Galaraga is The Living Church’s Episcopal Church reporter. His work has also appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, and Presbyterian Outlook, among other publications.
