wfn.org | Teleconfence re-scheduled for February 19

[ENS@ecunet.org]

2002-012

Teleconference on Waging Reconciliation in the Holy Land 
scheduled for February 19 

by James Solheim

(ENS) 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/. )