Jerusalem Archbishop Hosam Naoum speaks Oct. 19 during a forum discussion at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Photo: YouTube

[Episcopal News Service] Jerusalem Archbishop Hosam Naoum on Oct. 19 spoke at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, preaching at one of the church’s services and taking part in a forum discussion afterward. During both events he said the Palestinian people he serves exemplify the Arabic term “samud,” meaning resilience.

In his sermon, which was based on the parable of the persistent widow found in Luke 18:1-8, Naoum said the pleading of the widow for help from an unjust judge describes the miracle “that even a corrupt man can be pushed to do the right thing by strong, never-ending persistence.”

The gospel’s encouragement to trust that prayers will be heard “is something we in the Holy Land deeply understand,” he said. Samud, or what he described as a “quiet, active and strong will to stay to the last,” is characterized by the staff of the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, which he said has faced great danger and suffering the past two years. Some of the staff were killed, some were imprisoned and some lost homes and loved ones, and yet “as a team, as a community, they persevere.”

He said he hopes the Gaza Peace Deal, which was agreed to on Oct. 13, will hold since it already has allowed large quantities of food to be brought into Gaza and people to begin returning home.

But what really needs to be restored in the days ahead, beyond clearing tons of rubble and rebuilding thousands of homes, is trust between Palestinians and Israelis. He urged those listening to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” a phrase from Psalm 122:6.

The Very Rev. Winnie Varghese, the cathedral’s dean, kicked off the forum after the service by asking Naoum where he is from.

He is from a town outside Nazareth, “so I am a Galilean,” he said. “I am a son of a carpenter, and I am a fisherman as well – that’s what I do for fun,” he added, to some laughter from those attending.

When asked about the work of the Diocese of Jerusalem, he said he does what the bishop of every diocese does – engages in pastoral work and looks after his diocese’s clergy and people. But two things make Jerusalem unlike others.

One is the number of institutions it runs, including hospitals, medical clinics, rehabilitation centers and institutions for people with disabilities. But beyond the scope of its work, its location makes it unique.

“We do all these things in the place where it all happened,” Naoum said. “Christianity started in Jerusalem, with the ministry of Jesus, and from Jerusalem to the end of the earth.”

The diocese is entrusted with the people of the Holy Land, who he called “living stones, the living witnesses.” But it also takes place among what he called the “ancient stones,” the places where Jesus walked and ministered.

“We read the Gospel of the entry into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives” on Palm Sunday, Naoum said. “We process down into the Old City. We go to the Holy Sepulcher to worship on the day of the Resurrection.”

Despite the region’s ongoing trouble, he encouraged people to come to his diocese, noting that welcoming pilgrims “to the cradle of our faith” is an important part of its ministry.

He noted that board members and staff from the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, a U.S.-based nonprofit that raises money to assist the work of the diocese, were present, and he said help from them and others who support the diocese is invaluable.

In addition to his ministry leading the Diocese of Jerusalem, which includes Israel and the Palestinian areas of Gaza and the West Bank, as well as Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, he also is primate of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, which includes the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf Coast, and the Diocese of Iran.

Naoum is assisted by the Rev. Don Binder, an Episcopal priest from the Diocese of Southeast Florida, and an Episcopal missionary who serves at the Cathedral Church of St. George’s in Jerusalem. Naoum is secretary of the Council of the Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, an ecumenical group of Christian leaders, and also is vice-chair of the Anglican Consultative Council, which facilitates the cooperative work of the provinces of the Anglican Communion.

Most recently, he was a voting member of the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission, which recommended London Bishop Sarah Mullally as the next archbishop of Canterbury. He was one of five members from the Anglican Communion to serve on this commission, representing the region of Asia.

— Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.

Displaced Palestinians gather on the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in the central Gaza Strip on Oct. 9 during an attempt to return to Gaza City after the announcement that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting. Photo: Associated Press

[Episcopal News Service] As a potential ceasefire takes shape in Gaza, Episcopalians and Anglicans hopeful for peace are also lamenting the news that an Anglican Palestinian woman has been imprisoned in a closely watched case that has raised concerns of Israeli overreach.

Layan Nasir, 25, spent eight months last year in administrative detention by the Israeli government without charge. Nasir, a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in the occupied West Bank city of Birzeit, was released in December 2024 but was convicted last month on unclear grounds in a court case that Anglican leaders said “lacks any legal or moral justification.” The court sentenced her to 7 1/2 months in prison.

On Oct. 9, the Very Rev. Richard Sewell, dean of St. George’s College in Jerusalem, posted an update on Facebook saying he was “shattered” by the news that Nasir had been taken to prison to serve her sentence.

Layan Nasir, a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in the occupied West Bank city of Birzeit, was sentenced to 7 1/2 months in prison on unclear charges.

“Layan and her family must now endure a further eight-month sentence in the brutal Israeli prison system.” Sewell said. “The timing is a particularly cruel blow but it’s a stark reminder of what Palestinians are truly up against in the continuing struggle which is not impacted by the agreement for Gaza.”

Israel and Hamas announced this week that they had agreed to take steps toward a truce to end two years of violence since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory’s densely packed civilian population.

Israel said the ceasefire would take effect Oct. 10, starting a 72-hour period in which both sides would exchange hostages and prisoners. Returning all remaining hostages has been a top priority of Israelis, while Palestinians and global leaders have urged Israel to end deadly airstrikes and military operations in Gaza, where more than 67,000 Palestinians are reported dead, neighborhoods were leveled, local infrastructure is in tatters and survivors face an intensifying humanitarian crisis.

“I urge all to seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward,” United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said. “A path towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and achieving a two-state solution.”

Religious leaders in the Middle East also have been responding to the news of a ceasefire and hostage deal. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement welcoming the developments.

“The Patriarchate ardently hopes that this accord will be fully and faithfully implemented, so that it may mark the beginning of the end of this terrible war,” the statement said. “It also stresses the absolute urgency of immediate humanitarian relief and the unconditional entry of sufficient aid to Gaza’s suffering population. Above all, the Patriarchate prays that this step may open a path of healing and reconciliation for both Palestinians and Israelis.”

In the Church of England, a group of four bishops “with a close interest in the Holy Land” said they, too, welcomed the ceasefire, praying it will “bring immediate relief and comfort.”

“After two years of unimaginable death and destruction now is the time for all parties to turn away from war and commit to peace,” the bishops said. “A credible peace must start with a ceasefire, but it will not last without a fundamental shift in the attitudes and behaviors that, for too long, have maintained Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory and thwarted Palestinian self-determination and statehood. The settler violence in the West Bank must cease and the settlement-expansion program must be reversed.”

Churches for Middle East Peace, of which The Episcopal Church is a member, voiced “cautious hope” for the future of the region.

“After nearly two years of relentless warfare, widespread destruction and devastating loss of life, we pray this agreement marks a turning point toward peace, justice, and healing for all who call the Holy Land home,” Churches for Middle East Peace said.

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

Nasir is a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Birzeit in the occupied West Bank. She has been free since she was released from detention on Dec. 5, 2024, after being held since April 6.

The date when her sentence will begin has been delayed until November, for unknown reasons, the Rev. Don Binder, told Episcopal News Service in a written statement. He also shared details of her case.

Binder is an Episcopal priest who is serving as canon pastor to the English-speaking congregation at Jerusalem’s St. George’s Anglican Cathedral and as chaplain to Archbishop Hosam Naoum, of the Diocese of Jerusalem.

The conviction was for “routine activities that took place four years ago” when she was a student at Birzeit University, in the occupied West Bank, Binder said, adding that the Israeli military prosecution had rejected “all proposed alternatives to incarceration.”

Nasir’s hearing on those charges originally was scheduled for Sept. 7, but he said she and supporters were told it had been postponed to Nov. 23. Binder said he learned that the hearing took place anyway, without her, and she was found guilty without a trial.

The decision to imprison Nasir “lacks any legal or moral justification,” Binder said, especially considering that she is no longer a student and is now a full-time community worker at the YMCA. He noted that the reason for her detention last year also has never been made clear.

Four Church of England bishops in August also urged Israel not to detain Nasir again, saying to do so would be a “travesty.”

According to a story in the Church Times, the bishops had contacted both the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom and the British government, asking them to speak out about Nasir’s case and urging the Israeli military court to make “a fair and just decision” that didn’t include incarceration.

The story notes that Nasir met some of these bishops during recent trips to the Holy Land.

The dean of St. George’s College in Jerusalem, the Very Rev. Richard Sewell, posted support for Nasir on his Facebook page, noting that “all the people of the Diocese of Jerusalem will rally to support Layan and her family in the coming weeks.”

He called her sentence and the change of hearing dates “confusing,” saying he and other supporters, including members of her church, are “distressed by a process which offers no visible sense of justice.” While they explore any possible avenue to reverse a decision he called “erroneous,” he said their first responsibility will be to support Nasir and her family.

— Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.

A group of Christian charities and aid agencies, working with church leaders, is organizing a day of prayer for peace in the Middle East on Sunday, Sept.21. It is timed to coincide with the United Nation’s International Day of Peace.

Prayer material and other information will be made available on special pages on the websites of the ecumenical groups Churches Together in England and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.

Further events and opportunities for church engagement are planned for the coming months.

Jerusalem Archbishop Hosam Naoum also has written a prayer, available for use in churches. The text of that prayer follows.

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: In your mercy, provide for all those in Gaza and beyond who suffer from hunger and starvation, that they may be given both physical bread to nourish their bodies and heavenly bread to sustain their souls. By the power of your Spirit, bring a speedy end to this cruel war, the release of all captives, care for the sick and wounded, comfort for those who have lost loved ones, and the opening of a pathway for a just and lasting peace here in the very homeland where your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, ministered during his earthly life; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

A woman and child in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, receive food from World Central Kitchen. Photo: World Central Kitchen/WCK.org

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Diocese of New York reported on Aug. 15 that its “One Day’s Food for Gaza” campaign had raised $50,000 since the effort was announced on July 30.

That is enough to provide 100,000 meals through World Central Kitchen, to which money raised by the initiative has been designated. World Central Kitchen is a nonprofit started in 2010 by chef José Andrés that provides food to people affected by natural disasters, wars and humanitarian emergencies worldwide.

Food security experts backed by the United Nations on July 29 said that “the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza,” noting that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease are leading to a rise in hunger-related deaths.

The diocese’s statement, which was made on its Facebook page, added, “Supporting World Central Kitchen is a way that we can make a difference in a catastrophic situation. Care for each other reflects God’s love for us.” It had encouraged people to donate the amount they spent for one day’s worth of food for themselves.

In an Instagram video the day after the effort began, New York Bishop Matthew Heyd reported that $28,000 had been raised in its first 24 hours.

He also noted that the only miracle that is in all four Gospels is of Jesus feeding the 5,000, and that the response to people who are hungry “crosses all major faith traditions.”

In an Aug. 12 interview with the Christian Post, Heyd said the diocese’s effort to feed people in Gaza is just one element of its work that began after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas that killed nearly 1,200 Israelis, with 251 people taken hostage. The Israeli military offensive that followed has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including 18,000 children and minors, according to Gazan health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

“There’s been so much pain since the Oct. 7 attacks,” Heyd told the Christian Post. “We’ve spoken out since Oct. 7 about all the people affected – condemning Hamas and calling for the release of hostages, calling for a free flow of aid into Gaza, speaking up with partners in New York against antisemitism and Islamophobia.”

The story notes that last summer, the diocese provided financial support for Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, which is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. It also plans to host Jerusalem Archbishop Hosam Naoum later this year when he visits New York.

In an Aug. 1 post to its website, World Central Kitchen said that while its situation changes rapidly, it can get some ingredients and supplies into Gaza, which its cooks use to provide a limited number of hot meals for families and medical facilities in the central Gaza community of Deir Al-Balah, the only area where it currently can work.

It is also baking bread to distribute in Deir Al-Balah, along with clean drinking water. World Central Kitchen also supports approximately two dozen community kitchens, which prepare meals for vulnerable individuals in their areas using aid supplies from the organization.

— Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.

The hospital is the oldest and only Christian hospital in Gaza.

Attacks began during the morning, the diocese’s Aug. 18 statement said, when what it described as “armed members of a local outlaw band” brought a wounded man into the compound and demanded that he be treated. The statement noted he was treated “promptly and with full respect” before being discharged.

The men then set fire to the hospital’s morgue and staff prayer room before blocking the hospital’s entrance, preventing firefighters from entering to fight the blaze.

After some time, the group’s leader arrived and intervened so the fire could be extinguished, but not before it had badly damaged those areas of the hospital and came “dangerously close to tents currently serving as the hospital’s emergency department,” forcing staff to evacuate patients there.

Once hospital operations had returned to normal, a second band of men entered the hospital campus and began “shooting into the air and shouting wildly for the next two hours.” This drew the attention of the IDF drone, which fired into the hospital compound. The drone operator did not warn staff of the intent to fire.

Heads of the local clans and tribes came to the hospital later in the day to condemn the acts and to show their solidarity with its staff.

The diocese in its statement called on all parties involved to recognize that the hospital is protected by the Fourth Geneva Convention and to refrain from turning it “into a battleground.”

In addition, it invited Christians and others around the world to pray and advocate for its “courageous” hospital staff and for those serving other institutions in the region, so they can continue to work without assaults or disruptions. In their work, the diocese said, these employees offer “Christ’s compassionate healing ministry in the very homeland in which our Lord himself served during his earthly life.”

As we continue to pray for everyone caught up in the devastating violence and suffering in Palestine and Israel, we welcome His Majesty’s government’s statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, pledging to work with international partners on a long-term settlement, and the additional steps being taken to help get aid into Gaza.

We call upon the Israeli government to commit to an immediate ceasefire and to desist from actions that are leading to starvation in Gaza as well as from policies leading to the progressive annexation of the West Bank.

We condemn unequivocally the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023. The hostages should be immediately and safely released without conditions attached to their freedom.

We continue to call for an immediate end to this war and for negotiations leading to lasting justice, security and peace.

But the fact remains: a deliberate famine is being inflicted on the people of Gaza.

Air drops of aid are dangerous and entirely inadequate substitutes for what is needed: the unimpeded delivery of aid through the U.N. and other established humanitarian organizations.

His Majesty’s government has a legal and moral obligation to use every possible political, economic and diplomatic means at its disposable to end this abomination. This approach is clearly still not being taken – and so the urgent question remains: what more will it take?

Meanwhile the prospect of the United Kingdom recognizing Palestinian statehood is welcome, overdue and cannot come soon enough. As settlement expansion continues in the West Bank, the U.K. must recognize Palestine while there is still land on which a state could be recognized.

The U.K. has a particular historical and moral duty to recognize the state of Palestine, and it is therefore disappointing that this recognition has been made conditional. The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination is not a bargaining chip, and there can be no conditions placed on it.

We urge the government to move ahead with recognition of Palestine regardless of the facts on the ground.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we continue in prayer each day for our Palestinian Anglican sisters and brothers and for all the Christian communities, as well as for all Palestinians, Israelis and peoples of the region.

May God bring an end to these terrible injustices and guide our feet into the way of peace.

• Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell
• Southwark Bishop Christopher Chessun, House of Lords Lead Bishop for the Middle East
• Gloucester Bishop Rachel Treweek
• Chelmsford Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani
• Norwich Bishop Graham Usher

Workers with World Central Kitchen provide a hot meal to children in the central Gaza community of Deir Al-Balah. A new initiative by the Diocese of New York to help feed starving Gazans encourages people to donate to the organization. Photo: Courtesy of World Central Kitchen

[Episcopal News Service] In a July 30 email, New York Bishop Matthew Heyd and Bishop Suffragan Allen K. Shin urged members of the diocese to help starving people in Gaza by donating what they would spend on one day’s worth of food to World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit started in 2010 by chef José Andrés that provides food to people affected by natural disasters, man-made crises and humanitarian emergencies around the world.

The initiative is called “One Day’s Food for Gaza” and was launched in conjunction with the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.

“We are all made in the image of God. Our care for each other offers a central expression of our Christian faith. Scripture reminds us to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Jesus teaches us to feed the hungry,” the bishops’ email said.

Food security experts backed by the United Nations on July 29 said that “the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza,” noting that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease are leading to a rise in hunger-related deaths.

During a July 28 “Multifaith Mondays” rally at New York City’s Columbus Circle, Heyd said, “Like you, I’ve been watching with horror what’s happening in Gaza. There are so many complicated things happening. What’s not complicated is that children shouldn’t starve. What’s not complicated is that aid should reach the people who need it, wherever on the planet they need it.”

The One Day’s Food for Gaza effort, he said, allows people to “make a choice for a culture of generosity” every day. While noting that New York Episcopalians already are doing that in their neighborhoods, with the new initiative, “We get the chance to make that choice globally, too.”

In an Aug. 1 post to its website, World Central Kitchen said that while its situation changes rapidly, it can get some ingredients and supplies into Gaza, which its cooks use to provide a limited number of hot meals for families and medical facilities in the central Gaza community of Deir Al-Balah, the only area where it currently can work.

It is also baking bread to distribute in Deir Al-Balah, along with clean drinking water. World Central Kitchen also supports approximately two dozen community kitchens, which prepare meals for vulnerable individuals in their areas using aid supplies from the organization.

Seven members of the World Central Kitchen staff were killed in April 2024 when the convoy in which they were traveling was struck by an explosive device from the Israel Defense Forces near the organization’s Deir al-Balah warehouse. The IDF later said it was “carrying out an in-depth examination at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.”

Food aid is currently provided primarily through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is overseen by Israel and backed with millions of dollars from the United States. It operates four military-controlled distribution sites.

On July 1, more than 200 non-governmental organizations said this distribution plan wasn’t getting enough food into Gaza and instead was forcing the people there into “an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families.”

NPR reported that during the last week of July, at least 325 people in Gaza were killed by Israeli forces while trying to reach food, based on reports from Gaza’s Health Ministry.

In response to the growing crisis of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, Israel’s military in late July said that additional aid would be provided through airdrops. Some European nations have joined a Jordanian-led coalition that has coordinated these aerial deliveries. Still, aid agencies say this is not nearly enough to feed all the Gazans who are suffering without food.

Donations to World Central Kitchen’s work in Gaza can be made on the organization’s website here.

— Melodie Woerman is an Episcopal News Service freelance reporter based in Kansas.

A video of Naoum’s address can be seen here.

Yemeni children. Photo courtesy of Bill Schwartz

[Episcopal News Service] The ongoing Yemeni civil war has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises since it started nearly 11 years ago, with hundreds of thousands of people dead, millions of people displaced, large-scale famine and a lack of access to health care, petroleum and potable water. Yemen, however, is often overlooked compared to other global conflict zones.

“As horrible as the situation in Gaza is – or Libya and Ukraine or Syria and others – the circumstances in Yemen also are deserving our attention and deserving our prayers,” the Rev. Paul Feheley, The Episcopal Church’s Middle East partnership officer, told Episcopal News Service. “If people know anything about Yemen, it’s usually in the context of how its conflict relates to other conflicts, but more often than not the Yemenis are forgotten as other global crises arise.” 

Yemen, a coastal country bordering Saudi Arabia to the south and Oman to the southeast, has been in a political crisis since 2011, when the Yemeni Revolution led to the dismantling of the government led by Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen’s first president. The country’s civil war broke out in 2014 because of clashes between the Sunni Islam-majority Yemeni government and Ansar Allah, a Zaydi Shiite Islamist political and military group more commonly known as Houthis, who took part in the revolution.

Since the civil war began, at least 377,000 have died in the war or by hunger and a lack of access to health care and potable water, according to the United Nations. Yemen also has been experiencing a severe cholera outbreak since 2016 and is one of of the poorest countries in the world by gross domestic product per capita.

The Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, which includes Yemen, has been helping Yemenis through the Ras Morbat Eye Clinic, which is located on the grounds of Christ Church in Aden. The clinic opened in 1996 as a general medical clinic but has specialized in eye care since 2002, providing services ranging from eye exams and eyeglass prescriptions to cataract surgery to anyone in need.

One of the Ras Morbat Eye Clinic’s ophthalmologists checks the eyes of a patient. The clinic provides eye care services to all who need them regardless of ability to pay. Photo: Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf

The Rev. Bill Schwartz, a retired archdeacon of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf who currently serves at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Alpine, California, oversaw Ras Morbat at its inception. He told ENS that, based on recent communications with colleagues in the country, the clinic is operating normally with a “steady stream of patients” despite running on two hours of electricity a day and having spotty phone and internet service.

“It’s so hard for the average American Christian to understand the level of positive impact something as seemingly small as a comprehensive eye clinic can have,” Schwartz said. “Life is rough for the Yemeni people. The economy is all but collapsed and the health infrastructure is certainly collapsed. There’s no end in sight. … But people know they can trust Ras Morbat for quality care.”

Schwartz said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees brings Somali refugees from the Kharaz Refugee Camp in the Lahj Governorate to Ras Morbat every Tuesday for ophthalmology services.

At the 80th General Convention in 2022, The Episcopal Church House of Bishops and House of Deputies passed Resolution B002, “Fund an Ophthalmologist at the Ras Morbat Clinic, Aden, Yemen,” which additionally called on the church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations to support policies allowing “unobstructed access in the conflict areas for humanitarian and medical relief organization, and journalists” and to advocate for U.S. policymakers and the U.N. to “engage in every possible effort to relieve human suffering and find a political solution to the complex ongoing war in Yemen.”

“We continue to advocate for peace in Yemen,” Rebecca Blachly, The Episcopal Church’s chief of public policy and witness, told ENS in an email. “We will also continue to work alongside of ecumenical and interreligious partners, including Anglican Communion partners, in advocating for humanitarian assistance and de-escalation of the conflict.”

The Episcopal Church raises money annually through its Good Friday Offering to support Anglican churches and ministries in the Middle East, including Ras Morbat. The church also occasionally hosts informative events for Episcopalians to learn more about the political and humanitarian crisis in Yemen and how to help. Most recently, the church hosted a webinar providing an overview of Yemen today and the small but historic Anglican presence in the country.

During the webinar, Feheley encouraged participants to write notes of “love and continual prayers” for Ras Morbat and Yemen to the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf’s bishop, the Rt. Rev. Sean Semple, that he can share with the Yemenis.

“It seems like a very simple task that won’t make much of a difference, but believe me, it does,” Feheley told ENS. “We can’t necessarily change the circumstances in Yemen, but we can at least tell its people that they’re not forgotten, and that makes a huge difference.”

Feheley also said Episcopalians in the United States can stay up to date with news reports in Yemen and individually contact their senators and representatives to help advocate for peace in the country.

Schwartz hasn’t been in Yemen since 2021, but he said that he’s always enjoyed visiting the country and interacting with locals.

“Yemenis find their joys in the simple aspects of life, and they are tremendously hospitable,” he said. “We don’t hear about Yemen very much, but its people are wonderful.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.