THE Church Mission Society (CMS) has issued a statement saying that its ownership of property in the Holy Land is not a factor in a heated public dispute between the Bishop in Jerusalem, the Rt Revd Suheil Dawani, and his predecessor, the Rt Revd Riah Abu El-Assal.
The two churchmen have traded accusations about — among other things — the ownership and use of property in Nazareth. CMS says it has been named in papers that form part of legal proceedings involving the two Bishops.
The society says that its name appears because it is still the legal owner of some of the land in question. It is in the process of transferring ownership of its land around the Middle East to the relevant dioceses.
The CMS Regional Manager for the Middle East, Tanas al-Qassis, says that the society has “given full power of attorney to the standing committee of the diocese of Jerusalem. We are working to hand over the land, but the process has not been completed.”
The row between Bishop Dawani and Bishop Assal has caused a rift within the Arab Anglican community in the Holy Land. Bishop Dawani has accused his predecessor and members of his family of illegally purloining diocesan property in Nazareth.
Bishop Assal has accused his successor of refusing to confirm a member of the Assal family, and of standing by when two other members of the family were harassed and beaten after demanding to know why the confirmation had been denied. Each Bishop has rejected the accusations of the other.
While CMS’s ownership of property is not an issue in the dispute, the society has come out in support of Bishop Dawani. “We tried to get the situation to work out differently,” Mr Qassis said. “But it is CMS policy to support the current bishop. Suheil is a good man, a very spiritual man, and he wants to change and build up the reputation of the diocese.”
Mr Qassis said that Bishop Assal “did lots of good. But it’s time to let him retire and let Bishop Suheil get on with his work.”
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