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Teleconference on Waging Reconciliation in the Holy Land scheduled for February 19
By James Solheim
2002-012
1/17/2002
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[Episcopal News Service]
A teleconference on peace in the Middle East that was postponed after the September 11 terrorist attacks is now scheduled for February 19 in New York City and Pasadena, California.
Under the theme of 'Waging Reconciliation in the Holy Land: Salaam, Shalom, Peace,' participants will be greeted by Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold in New York who will also speak on 'Waging Reconciliation,' drawing on themes developed at last fall's meeting of the House of Bishops.
Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal of the Diocese of Jerusalem will be the special guest and a special video will incorporate other voices from the region, including church leaders as well as Muslim and Jewish leaders. The video and the teleconference are being produced by the church's Office of Communication.
An interfaith panel on the search for peace will originate at the Pasadena site, moderated by the Rev. Edwin Bacon, rector of All Saints Church. The panel will be introduced by Bishop Christopher Epting, deputy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations for the Episcopal Church. Members of the panel and Griswold will participate in a question-and-answer period.
A pre-conference orientation at both sites on February 18 will explore the peacemaking efforts of the church, international support for the churches in the region such as the Jerusalem 2000 Project, and the advocacy role of the Washington offices of the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in presenting church policies and positions to lawmakers.
'We are all searching for a theological grounding for the church's peacemaking role in a post-September 11 world,' said the Rev. Brian Grieves, director of peace and justice ministries for the Episcopal Church and chair of the planning committee. As a result, a high level of interest in the teleconference has developed in recent months, he said.
'This is also the first opportunity for different groups within the church that are working for peace to hear from each other,' he added, making it possible for them to find new allies. Grieves also anticipates more interest in what the church is doing on the national scene, especially through its Office for Government Relations in Washington, DC. 'We want especially to connect more intentionally with our own church in the region as it makes a faithful witness in the midst of great suffering,' he said.
A presentation on advocacy will feature the Washington offices and Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), an ecumenical coalition based in Washington. CMEP director Corinne Whitlatch and the Rev. Mark Brown of the ELCA's Washington office will be special guests, as well as the Rev. Naim Ateek, director of Sabeel, a Palestinian peace and liberation institute on the West Bank. (For further information and registration call 800-334-7626, ext. 6050 or go to the web site at www.episcopalchurch.org/peace-justice/. )
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