Devout Christians march for Zionism in Jerusalem.
news.yahoo.com
>>More than 5,000 evangelical Christians, including believers from as far afield as Congo and New Zealand, marched through Jerusalem on Tuesday to voice their support for Zionism and the state of Israel.
The event, organized by a group known as the International Christian Embassy of Israel, was the latest trip to the Holy Land by what are dubbed Christian Zionists, whose avid support for Israel has angered some Christian bishops and the Vatican.
"I am here to show my love and support for the people of Israel," said Mpoy Muambi, a pastor from the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose thick maroon-wool suit left him looking slightly out of place in Jerusalem's searing sun.
Christian Zionists form a growing part of the pro-Israel lobby in the United States, the Jewish state's main ally. They believe the return of Jews to the Holy Land and establishment of Israel are proof of God's promises to biblical patriarchs.
In recent years, Christian Zionist groups in the United States have even provided money for social and educational groups in Israel, and have actively promoted its politics.
Earlier this year, the Vatican's envoy in the Holy Land and bishops from three other churches launched a rare attack on the movement, accusing it of promoting "racial exclusivity and perpetual war."
"The Christian Zionist programme provides a world view where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism," a declaration read.<< |
