Sisters Learn about Middle East Peace Efforts

On July 8, 2024, the Mount Benedictines for Peace committee sponsored a presentation by Destiny Magnett, program and outreach manager for Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). CMEP was founded in 1984 to be a voice of U.S. Christians for peace in the Middle East. This ecumenical organization includes members from 35 denominations; Catholic members include the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Relief Services, Maryknoll, and Franciscan Friars.

Destiny, who recently earned a master’s degree in theological studies from Harvard University, lived in Jordan in 2021; in 2023, she spent 15 weeks as a volunteer at the Aida Palestinian refugee camp north of Bethlehem. In her presentation, she provided a geographic guide to the Middle East region and spoke about the current situation in Gaza and the West Bank, including information about the number of people who have been killed or displaced and who are starving since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

CMEP is advocating for a permanent bilateral ceasefire, adequate aid for Palestinians who have been displaced from their homes, and military de-escalation. Actions that individuals can take to promote peace in the region are listed on their website at https://cmep.org/takeaction/. As Destiny said,

“Peace-building is slow work, but that doesn’t mean we can stop and give up.”