The Right Reverend Munib Younan D.D. | |
|---|---|
| Bishop Emeritus of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land | |
 Bishop Munib Younan in 2015 | |
| Church | Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land |
| Installed | 1998 |
| Term ended | 2018 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1976 |
| Consecration | 5 January 1998 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Munib Younan (1950-09-18)18 September 1950 (age 74) |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Denomination | Lutheran |
| Parents | Andria Younan & Alice Qandalaft |
| Spouse | Suad Yacoub |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Helsinki Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago |
Munib Younan (Arabic:منيب يونان,romanized: Munīb Yūnān[1][a]Arabic pronunciation:[mʊ.niːbjuː.naːn]ⓘ; born 18 September 1950 inJerusalem) is aPalestinianBishop Emeritus of theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).
From January 1998 to January 2018 he was Bishop of the ELCJHL. He retired in January 2018, but continues to serve as Bishop Emeritus, and remains a member of the Church Council of ELCJHL.[3]
He served asPresident of theLutheran World Federation from 2010 to 2017.
Munib Younan was born into a nativeJerusalemite family of Assyrian origin thatconverted toProtestantism.
He studieddeaconry andtheology inFinland. He began studies in deaconry at Luther Opisto (college) inJärvenpää 1969–1972. Thereafter Younan studied theology at theHelsinki University in 1972–1976, receiving aMaster of Arts in Theology in 1976. He also studied theology at theLutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 1988.
Younan has been married since 1980 to Suad Yacoub fromHaifa, whose family originates fromKfar Bir'im. Mrs. Younan is the Director of the Helen Keller School for the Blind inBeit Hanina. They have three children and several grandchildren.
Younan was ordained at theChurch of the Redeemer in Jerusalem and served pastorates inJerusalem,Beit Jala, andRamallah. Since 1990 Younan served as the president of the ELCJHL synod. In 1998 Younan was consecrated bishop of the ELCJHL.
He has also chaired the Board of Directors for the LWF owned Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem. Younan is the patron of Gospel Riders Jerusalem - a motorcycle club operating in cooperation with Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission.[4]
Younan has been actively engaged in theMiddle East Council of Churches, in various positions since 1985 including as the president of its Evangelical Family until 2018. Younan served as president of the Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC) in 2004–2010, which during his presidency unanimously voted if favor of the ordination of women as pastors. Younan is also a founding member of theEcumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), serving as the chair of Local Reference Group since 2002.
Younan is a co-founder of the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land, made up of the two chief rabbis of Israel, heads of the local churches, the Chief Judge of the Islamic Court in Palestine and other Muslim leaders. In 2006, Younan was a co-signatory of theJerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism.[5] On 15 December 2009, he signed theKairos Palestine Document along with 12 other Palestinianpatriarchs and heads of church from otherChristian denominations. The document references the 1985Kairos South Africa Document and condemns what it calls "the military occupation of our land [...] a sin against God and humanity" and characterises what it perceives as such as "oppression, displacement, suffering and clear apartheid for more than six decades". It calls for international support and "peace with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state withAl-Quds as its capital".[6]
Younan was elected on 24 July 2010 President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), an organization that represents 145 churches in 79 countries around the world representing 70 million Christians. In his role as LWF President, Younan has demonstrated untiring leadership speaking to Lutheran Church gatherings in numerous settings on five continents and represented Lutherans in Ecumenical Discussions. Previously he had served as the LWF vice president for the Asian region from 2004 to 2009.[7] He sits on theboard of trustees of the Yasser Arafat Foundation.[8]
On 31 October 2016, withPope Francis and The Lutheran World Federation General Secretary The Rev. Martin Junge, Younan signed a Joint Statement commemorating theLutheran Reformation and Historical Reconciliation between the Lutheran and Roman Catholic Churches. The co-hosted service was the first of its kind in 500 years.[9]
Younan is the author of two books. InWitnessing for Peace: In Jerusalem and in the World, published by Augsburg Fortress Press in 2003,[10] Younan presents the historical and social context of the Palestinian situation, beginning with the not-well-known story ofArab Christianity and his own indigenous Assyrian background. He elaborates his own theology of nonviolence, centered on the call to witness, heeding a call to justice, inclusion, and forgiveness.Our Shared Witness: A Voice for Justice and Reconciliation[11] is a compilation of some of Younan's speeches, sermons, articles and conference presentations that reflect his prophetic voice. He also edited theAugsburg Confession in Arabic (Emerezian Est., Jerusalem, 1993). He is the author of many other articles and a participant at conferences throughout the world.[citation needed]
Younan is also recognized as a leader of interfaith dialogue and an advocate for dialogue, peace, and gender justice issues in Palestine and Israel. After his retirement bishop Younan has been nominated honorary president ofReligions for Peace.[12]
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