Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem Visits Vanunu

After months of protracted negotiations with the Israeli authorities, the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal, was granted a visit with Mordechai Vanunu at Ashkelon Prison on July 26.

Anglican Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal, (right) and Dean Rev. Michael H. Sellors, who both visited Mordechai Vanunu.

Accompanying Bishop Riah was the Dean of St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem, The Very Rev. Michael H. Sellors.

The visit began with a celebration of Holy Communion for the imprisoned nuclear whistleblower, who was baptized into the Anglican Church in Australia in July, 1986, barely two months before his kidnapping by Israeli agents and the publication of his inside story.

Dean Rev. Sellors reported that at the Peace, when communicants greet each other with God's peace, the prison social worker "even shared it with us."

Nearly an hour of conversation followed, and Vanunu was reported to be in good health and resilient spirit. He is convinced that nuclear weapons are catastrophic for all humanity, especially in the Middle East, and longs for the day when all such weapons are abolished.