The Archbishop's Christmas card

By Ethel C. Fenig

As predicted, the archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has followed his Christmas tradition and once again blamed the Israelis for the plight of Christians in Bethlehem.

Dr Williams said yesterday that the Israeli-built wall around Bethlehem symbolised what was "deeply wrong in the human heart".

Apparently he believes that the murderous terrorist attacks on Jews by Arabs, many of whom came from Bethlehem, a town Christians believe is the birthplace of Jesus, is deeply correct in the human heart.

Williams and other British Christian dignitaries scuttled to Bethlehem last week to draw attention to the plight of Christians in the town, who are emigrating because of the violent discrimination they endure. There they joined with Bethlehem's Christian Arab mayor, an ardent Marxist and wholehearted supporter of Hamas' murderous terrorist attacks. Together, they ecumenically blamed Britain's Tony Blair and the United States for the increasingly precarious situation of Christians in the Arab world , stating

Christians in the Middle East are being put at unprecedented risk by the Government's "shortsighted" and "ignorant" policy in Iraq, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, says today.

In an extraordinary attack, Dr Williams accuses Tony Blair and the US of endangering the lives and futures of many thousands of Christians in the Middle East, who are regarded by their countrymen as supporters of the "crusading West."

And what do other Christians dignitaries, safely back home in England, think of their colleague's statement?

He has been backed by bishops across the Church of England, who say that Christians in the Middle East are now paying the price for the "chaos" in Iraq after the British Government failed to heed their warnings about the consequences of military action.

Indeed, the Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Rev James Jones, slightly oblivious to reality while hoping words translate into action added

"The Archbishop has done much to deepen friendship between Christians, Muslims and Jews in this country. We must pray that this friendship spreads.

"We face two further possibilities: either a conflict of attrition between the faiths or a settlement of peaceful coexistence. We must hope that Christians will find the same just treatment in the Middle East as Muslims have a right to expect in this country."

Uh bishop, just don't take your Christian bible with you to Saudi Arabia--it is forbidden. And be very careful while meeting with Christians in Egypt and Lebanon and traveling in Christian free Jordan, Yemen and other Moslem countries.