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NCC delegation begins mission to Mideast
2002-100-1
4/19/2002
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[Episcopal News Service]
Embarking on a 12-day journey to visit those people affected by the violence occurring in Palestine and Israel, 14 American church leaders spent the first day of the journey in preparation and by meeting with Orthodox Church leaders in Istanbul, Turkey.
The U.S. delegation, headed by Dr. Bob Edgar (United Methodist), general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC), and by Elenie Huszagh (Greek Orthodox), the president of the NCC, received first the advice and blessing of His All Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and spiritual leader of more than 250 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew reminded the group that he had met last month in Washington with President Bush and Secretary of State Powell. The patriarch expressed his concern for the American people in the wake of the September 11 disaster. 'Last month I visited Ground Zero and I prayed...and I spoke on the meaning of our common prayer.' This led Edgar of the NCC to conclude, 'So it is in prayer that we Americans come now to express our concern for, and our solidarity with, the peoples of the Middle East.'
The U.S. delegation leaves on Friday, April 19, for Beirut, where the group will be hosted by the Middle East Council of Churches and have meetings with religious and political leaders, including Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri. The group will then continue on to Syria and Jordan and has scheduled meetings with Syrian president Bashar Al Assad and King Abdullah of Jordan before arriving in the West Bank and Israel on April 23.
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