On the occasion of its 16th Anniversary, Kairos Palestine renewed a theological and moral plea to the global church through a new document: A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide’ at a large gathering of over 200 faith-based advocates, theologians, church leaders, and activists from Palestine and many parts of the world in Bethlehem, Palestine on November 14, 2025.
With a vivid account of the realities of the ongoing Genocide, Colonization, and Ethnic Cleansing, and deploring the silence and neutrality of churches and church organisations even after 16 years, this sharp and powerful document asserts speaking truth to power at a time of genocide as a spiritual and moral imperative. With a passionate call to repentance and action, it ends with an appeal:
From the heart of pain, genocide and displacement, we raise this cry—a prophetic cry of steadfastness. We declare our commitment to work for the good of this land and of all humanity on the basis of our shared humanity until the day we live free in our land together with all the inhabitants of the land in true peace and reconciliation founded on justice and equality for all God’s creation, where mercy and truth meet, and righteousness and peace kiss each other. (Psalm 85:10)
For the full text, please click:
The Global Kairos for Justice for Palestine – a coalition of over 70 partners from 23 countries met on the following two days – 15 and 16 November, to explore ways to accompany and strengthen the worldwide efforts for the freedom of the Palestinian people from occupation and apartheid, and the end of genocide.
In their endorsement of the Kairos Palestine 2025 document, this global coalition of partners resolved, among other things, to reject “Jewish, Muslim and Christian Zionism – a political ideology, a theological distortion and a moral corruption in all its expressions, and continue “to pressure governments and encourage civil society organisations to isolate, boycott, divest from and sanction Israel”.
A Moment of Truth in a time of Genocide – the new Kairos Palestine Document, while locating itself in the specific context of illegal occupation, presents itself as a challenge to Christians, churches and Christian organisations worldwide to acknowledge the shameful reality of religious traditions, institutions and communities in service of the death-dispensing forces. These seem to normalise and legitimize greed, injustice, and violence, and the ongoing genocide stands out as a stark example of their abandonment of moral responsibility to defend and nurture life.
A Moment of Truth in a time of Genocide also prompts us to find God in places where God is not named, but found in the actions of people and civil society groups for justice, human dignity, rights and freedom from oppression.
Furthermore, A Moment of Truth in a time of Genocide opens the possibility of rediscovering the church as people, as an event, or as an expression of people witnessing to their faith and hope in concrete situations of strife and struggle for life.
A Moment of Truth in a time of Genocide also guides us along a pathway to find alternative expressions of ecumenism that are people-based, justice-driven, and change-seeking, and are informed by both the sighs of suffering and struggle and the signs of hope across worldwide Christianity. Transformative Ecumenism presents itself as one such alternative.
Deenabandhu Manchala
Consultant – Transformative Ecumenism