wfn.org | WCC UPDATE: 18 new ecumenical accompaniers

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World Council of Churches - Update
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 05/05/2005

FOUR PASTORS AMONG 18 NEW ECUMENICAL ACCOMPANIERS

A new group of 18 ecumenical accompaniers last week joined four others
staying on in Israel and Palestine from the previous group within the
framework of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and
Israel (EAPPI). The new arrivals bring the total number of ecumenical
accompaniers now on the ground to 22.

The eleven women and seven men in the new group range in age from 25 to
68. Five come from Norway, five from South Africa, three from Britain,
three from Sweden and one each from France and Switzerland.

Three of the South African accompaniers are pastors - two from the
Anglican Church and one from the Salvation Army. One of the Swedish
accompaniers is a pastor in the Baptist Church. The French accompanier is
an Italian citizen and a member of the Waldensian Church of Italy, while
one of the accompaniers from Britain is a native of Ireland.

Ecumenical accompaniers serve a minimum of three months and work in
various capacities with local churches, Palestinian and Israeli NGOs, as
well as Palestinian communities to try to reduce the brutality of the
occupation and improve the daily lives of both peoples. Accompaniers will
continue to be placed in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jayyous, Jerusalem, Ramallah,
Tulkarem, and Yanoun.

Four Danish accompaniers from the previous group will continue their
service to the programme. One accompanier with journalism skills will
continue his work with the Alternative Information Center (AIC), a joint
Palestinian-Israeli initiative. The other three Danes are medical
students, and will continue their work with the Ramallah-based Union of
Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC). Part of their job is to
accompany mobile health clinics bringing medical attention to people who
can't get to hospitals or health care facilities due to the restrictions
on freedom of movement.

Since the programme was launched in August 2002, 198 ecumenical accompaniers have participated from more than 30 churches and ecumenical partners in
12 countries: Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand,
Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the
United States.

For more information on the EAPPI:
http://www.eappi.org

The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) was
launched in August 2002. Ecumenical accompaniers monitor and report
violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, support
acts of non-violent resistance alongside local Christian and Muslim
Palestinians and Israeli peace activists, offer protection through
non-violent presence, engage in public policy advocacy, and stand in
solidarity with the churches and all those struggling against the
occupation. The programme is co-ordinated by the World Council of
Churches.

This material may be reprinted freely.

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363
media@wcc-coe.org

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 347, in
more than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly,
which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by
general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.