On the Church of England’s Passing of the Carlisle Motion
Our Christian faith calls us not only to pray for justice and peace, but to act.
As members of the global Anglican Communion and leaders in The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of New York and Episcopal Divinity School (EDS), we celebrate with profound hope the historic passing of the Carlisle Diocesan Synod Motion (GS 2451A) by the Church of England’s General Synod. This vote marks a courageous breakthrough for justice, peace, and the integrity of Christian witness. We write to affirm our commitment to the dignity and freedom of all people, and to urge The Episcopal Church to take meaningful, practical steps toward a just and lasting peace in Israel and Palestine.
Our values as Christians are clear: we are called to love our neighbors, to honor the God-given dignity of every human being, and to pursue justice and freedom for all people.
We give thanks for the leaders who labored and advocated to bring this motion forward, in particular those of Sabeel-Kairos. The Church of England has chosen a path of active solidarity over comfortable neutrality, as Christ calls us to do.
The Rev. Dr. Fadi Diab, a renowned Palestinian theologian who advocated for this motion with Sabeel-Kairos, co-authored the Kairos documents, and recently taught a course with EDS, said,
“When the Church receives the witness of Palestinian Christians, it is not taking sides in a political conflict; it is standing with fellow members of the Body of Christ and affirming that the Gospel calls us to justice, truth, hope, and the equal dignity of every human being.”
We pray that the courage shown by the Church of England will ignite a renewed commitment across the whole church to costly, meaningful solidarity. As Archbishop Mullaly stated in her remarks to General Synod,
“I am a pastor, not a politician. When I say the Palestinian people deserve their freedom, that is not a political statement, but a moral and spiritual one.”
In light of this historic motion, Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) and the Episcopal Diocese of New York renew our commitment to Palestinian liberation.
This commitment reinforces the work of the 248th Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New York in November 2024, during which delegates passed several resolutions calling for faithful action for peace and justice in Palestine.
The resolutions recommended expansive theological study of the Kairos Palestine Document, the application of The Episcopal Church’s No-buy List to diocesan investments, and a commitment to divest from companies participating in occupation and human rights violations as defined by the International Court of Justice. Our congregations and governing bodies have faithfully continued the work of implementing these actions across our diocese over the past two years.
In keeping with our commitments, and in solidarity with the the Church of England and the people of Palestine, EDS and the Episcopal Diocese of New York:
- Offer, in line with the motion’s focus on theological engagement, educational resources created by the Rev. Dr. Fadi Diab during his recent EDS course, “Palestinian Liberation Theology: An Introduction” and the forthcoming book, The Anglican Church and Palestine, edited by EDS Distinguished Scholar, Dr. Kwok Pui-lan. We encourage all those in The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion to use these resources in community to expand our collective knowledge and engagement on these issues and listen to the voices of Palestinian Christians.
- Uplift the via media of Anglicanism as a gift and a functional tool for this work. Both/and thinking allows us to hold complex commitments together: we can and must reject antisemitism unequivocally and also refuse to remain silent about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
- Commit to review our own investment portfolios once again, in light of the International Court Justice Advisory Opinion of July 2024 on the illegality of the Israeli occupation, and the November 2024 248th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, we encourage The Episcopal Church and all other Episcopal dioceses, organizations, and church entities to join us in this careful review to ensure our financial resources do not serve as a tacit endorsement of these grave human rights violations.
Finally, we – President Bucklin and Bishop Heyd – urge The Episcopal Church to follow suit at our upcoming 82nd General Convention: to receive the witness of Palestinian Christians, encourage deep theological reflection on the misuse of Scripture to justify state violence and inequality here and abroad, reaffirm the equal God-given dignity of Palestinians and Israelis alike, and commit to advocating for freedom, justice, equality, and self-determination for all people in the Holy Land.
The Very Rev. Lydia Kelsey Bucklin
President and Dean, Episcopal Divinity School
The Rt. Rev. Matthew Heyd
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Episcopal Divinity School