From the Worldwide Faith News archives www.wfn.org


NCC General Secretary Heads to Middle East for Post-War


From "Nat'l Council of Churches" <nccc_usa@ncccusa.org>
Date Thu, 22 May 2003 15:06:28 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND NEWS PLANNING

Media Contact: 212-870-2227/2252/2048
Web: www.ncccusa.org <http://www.ncccusa.org>

NCC GENERAL SECRETARY HEADS TO MIDDLE EAST FOR POST-WAR MEETINGS

May 22, 2003, NEW YORK CITY - Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the
National Council of Churches USA, will take part in a series of meetings in
the Middle East May 27-June 1 at which religious leaders from many faiths
will come together in support of religious tolerance and multi-religious
cooperation in post-conflict Iraq and elsewhere.

They also will seek to lay the groundwork for an international interfaith
summit on multi-religious collaboration for peace, to be held in the region.
The international summit was called for by 75 U.S. Christian, Jewish, Muslim
and other religious leaders who met for a domestic interfaith summit April
30 in Chicago.

We want to assure our counterparts in the Middle East and around the world
that there are many religious voices of moderation in the United States,
Dr. Edgar said.  We want to join together with them to eliminate the
rhetoric of hate and end violence perpetrated in the name of religion.

The NCC General Secretary will be accompanied by Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos,
NCC Associate General Secretary for International Affairs and Peace.  On
their itinerary:

7	An emergency meeting of the Executive Committee of the World
Conference on
Religion and Peace May 27-28 in Amman, Jordan, in support of Iraqi religious
communities traditions of tolerance and religious freedom and desire to
cooperate on immediate needs.  Jordans Prince Hassan bin Talal, WCRP
Moderator, will host the meeting, whose theme is Rejecting Violence and
Promoting Peace with Justice.	Participants are expected to include a
significant contingent of Iraqi religious leaders.  For more information,
visit the WCRP Web site - http://www.wcrp.org/RforP/SGUPDATES_MAIN.html

7	Meetings in Amman with leadership of the Middle East Council of
Churches
May 29-30 to further advance planning for an international interfaith
summit.

7	Travel to Damascus, Syria, and, if time allows, to Beirut, Lebanon,
May
31-June 1 for further meetings with religious leaders.	They return to the
United States on June 2.

The upcoming meetings follow on a series of domestic speaking engagements in
which Dr. Edgar has promoted The Need for a Peace-Centered Foreign Policy.
See www.ncccusa.org for more information.
-end-


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