July/August 2005: Abbas, Blair, Bush

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By Jim Naughton
Washington Window
Vol. 73, No. 8, July/August 2005

During his three years in the post, the Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane has come to understand that certain political and diplomatic opportunities accrue to the Bishop of Washington.

Chane meets frequently with Republicans in the Bush administration, with Democrats on Capitol Hill and with anyone who can help Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane and the Anglican province of Southern Africa. But in recent weeks, his schedule has been more high-powered than usual.
On May 27, Chane was among 15 religious leaders who met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after Abbas concluded a joint press conference with President George Bush.
On June 7, Chane was among another group of religious leaders who met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the British Embassy, just before Blair met with Bush.

And on June 10, Chane and several other religious leaders met at the White House with Stephen Hadley, the President’s National Security advisor, and Elliott Abrams, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy.

The meeting with Abbas was convened at the request of the Palestinian leader and Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition of 21 Orthodox churches, Roman Catholic agencies and Protestant denominations.

Chane, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of the Archdiocese of Washington, Serge Duss of World Vision, an evangelical relief and development organization, and the Rev. Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, were the four participants selected to address public comments to Abbas.

In his remarks, Chane commended the Palestinian leader for his “strong position taken and comments made regarding the importance of non-violence and the role it must play in the process... to seek a secure, two-state solution between Palestine and Israel.”

The bishop also praised Bush for announcing earlier in the day that he would give $50 million in direct aid to the Palestinian Authority for housing and infrastructure projects in the Gaza strip.

“The renewed emphasis and vigor with which President Bush and his administration are pursuing the Road Map, putting appropriate pressure on both Israelis and Palestinians to address difficult but necessary challenges, gives us hope that a two state solution could, in fact, become a reality,” Chane said in a statement released later. “It is particularly important that issues such as borders and Jerusalem be part of final status negotiations involving all sides. We must always remember that Israelis and Palestinians—Christians, Jews and Muslims—are all children of God and deserve the blessings of peace, justice, equality and human rights.”

Chane has devoted himself to interfaith dialog among the three religions that trace their faith to Abraham. He has appeared frequently on panels with Akbar Ahmed, chair of Islamic Studies at American University, and M. Bruce Lustig, senior rabbi of Washington Hebrew Congregation. He also participates in the Abrahamic Roundtable sponsored by Washington National Cathedral.

On June 14, Ahmed, Chane and Lustig were presented with the first annual Interfaith Bridge Builders Award at the Egyptian embassy by the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.
Chane’s meeting with Hadley and Abrams also focused on issues confronting American policy makers in the Middle East. The bishop agreed with other participants not to disclose further details.

The Anglican Communion is one of the only western Christian denominations with an institutional presence in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and Episcopalians are sometimes consulted on policies that will affect Bishop Riah Hanna Abu El-Assal and the Diocese of Jerusalem.

The meeting with Blair was held one day after the interfaith convocation “Hunger No More” drew more than 1,500 worshippers to the Cathedral. The service was part of “One Table, Many Voices,” a weeklong conference organized by Bread for the World and Call to Renewal. Participants hoped to rally congressional support for domestic anti-hunger legislation and to stimulate grass-roots awareness of international anti-poverty initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals.

Anti-poverty initiatives were also on Blair’s mind, Chane said. The Prime Minister urged U.S. religious leaders to continue to lobby the Bush administration to support a more aggressive policy of debt forgiveness and a significant increase in foreign aid.

Blair had come to the U.S. hoping to persuade Bush to support the ambitious anti-poverty program he intends to lay out when leaders of the Group of eight industrialized nations convene this month in Scotland. By the time Blair met with religious leaders, he was aware that Bush had decided not to support his plan, though no official announcement had been made, Chane said. Nonetheless, Blair told the group that he hoped continued lobbying by religious and civic leaders might lead Bush to sign on to future initiatives.

The danger for Bush at the G-8 summit is that he will appear out of step with leaders of other nations who have pledged more generous support, Chane said.

The Very Rev. John Peterson, canon for global justice and reconciliation, and Maureen Shea, director of the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations, attended the meeting with Abbas. Shea and members of her staff typically brief Chane before meetings with the administration, Congress or foreign leaders. Peterson, who recently retired as secretary of the Anglican Communion, also attended the meeting with Blair.

Contact Jim Naughton at jnaughton@edow.org

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