Daoud Kuttab

Vigorous behind-the-scenes official and security attempts are being exerted to prevent the collapse of Christian-Christian unity following a sermon by the head of the Council of Churches in Jordan, Bishop Christoforos Atallah, which included accusations of heresy against clerics from other Christian denominations. The Orthodox Bishop called Protestant reverends satanic. The reason for the unprecedented escalation by the head of the Church Council was not known. The spokesperson for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem declined to comment at this time.

Leaders of evangelical churches in Jordan are working to respond to the accusations in various ways, most of them behind the scenes and without any publicity. Retired Major General and former MP Imad Maayah said that there is anger among clergy and members of the five evangelical churches that operate within the Jordanian Evangelical Council, which is headed by Maayaah. At the present time, legal complaints on the matter have been postponed.

Maayah also reported that a meeting is being arranged with the Latin Patriarch/Cardinal, the Latin Archbishop of Jordan, the Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan, and the heads of various denominations in Jordan.

Meanwhile, the Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Hossam Naoum, is expected to visit Jordan during the end of this week and is expected to communicate with senior official officials in Jordan about the issue.

The controversial intervention came at the end of a mass in the Church of the Ascension in Amman’s Khalda neighborhood on Sunday, September 17. It included accusations that Christians had never heard before regarding Protestant churches, whose spiritual leaders are called reverend and not father, as is the case with historical churches. It is noteworthy that the Evangelical Episcopal denomination and the Evangelical Lutheran denomination also use the title of reverend, and they are members of the Council of Denomination Leaders, which is headed by Bishop Christoforo himself…

The sermon also included Bishop Christoforos’ rejection of the principle of Christian unity, considering it a “fake” unity.

In addition to the harsh statements made by Bishop Christoforos regarding the pastors of Christian churches that have been operating legally in Jordan, for decades, many of those who followed what was stated in the sermon were surprised about another issue. It seemed that the Orthodox bishop chose to hide behind King Abdullah II, stating bluntly that “if he had said what he said in another country, the public prosecutor would have arrested him.”

Critics respond that His Majesty the King is at the same distance from everyone and that the Constitution, in its sixth article, guarantees freedom of belief for all Jordanians without discrimination, and that it is a grave mistake to try to drag the King into taking a side between parties in a Christian-Christian conflict.

Below is the text in Arabic of the controversial sermon