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Christians in Santiago, Chile Offer Solidarity and Strong Support to Palestinian Christians
23-May-03
Contact: Robert Younes, M.D.
(301) 983 3022, 301-951-9400
younes@hcef.org
The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation*
News Release
For Immediate Release
Christians in Santiago, Chile Offer Solidarity and Strong Support to Palestinian Christians
Santiago, Chile's Christians came together last week to offer their solidarity to Holy Land Christians and to welcome a delegation from the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF). Sir Rateb Rabie, HCEF President; George Ghattas, HCEF Country Representative, Palestine; and Father Khalil Jaar, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, met with representatives of the Chilean government, the various church authorities in the city, and the local Palestinian community which boasts 350,000 Palestinian Christians (almost three times the number of Palestinian Christians remaining in Palestine!).
The Secretary General to the President of Chile, Mr. Francisco Huichumilla, and Mr. Carlos Portales, Director of Foreign Politics of the Foreign Ministry, hosted the delegation for meetings. After the HCEF delegation explained the living condition of the Palestinians who live under the Israeli occupation, Mr. Huichumilla and Mr. Portales assured the delegation that their intent is to do whatever they can to contribute to a just peace in the region and, in particular, to assist the Christians of the Holy Land so that they are able to continue the 2,000 tradition of being living witnesses of the Gospel.
In addition, the Vatican's representative to Chile, Apostolic Nuncio H.E. Ald Cavalli, the Antiochian Orthodox Bishop Sergio Abad, the Roman Catholic Bishop Ricardo Ezzati, and several representatives of FRAEACH (Fraternidad Ecumenica De Chile, an ecumenical organization of lay people and clergy) each spent time with the HCEF delegation in order to ascertain how they can most effectively reach out to their brothers and sisters in the Holy Land in a way that is ecumenical and efficient. These church leaders agreed that HCEF is the best means for them to unite in their efforts to help preserve Christianity in the Holy Land, and they began their work by holding an ecumenical service for peace in the Holy Land at the Antiochian Orthodox Church. The service was attended by more than 200 local Christians.
The Palestino Fundación (PF) organized the entire series of meetings and programs for the HCEF delegation. Mario Nazal, PF Director; Jose Said, PF President; and Alberto Kassis, PF Director General, have committed to continuing their work in organizing the Palestinian Christians of Santiago to work with HCEF's programs and to help Santiago's church leaders to organize an active local committee for the Holy Land Christian Support Network (HCSN).
To solidify the connections with the Chilean Palestinian Christians, the HCEF delegation made a presentation to a group of 175 Palestinian Christians at a local Palestinian Club. The delegation also met with local Syrian and Palestinian business people to discuss ways that HCEF is helping to connect Christians in the West to assist with development projects and job creation projects that HCEF supports in the Holy Land.
HCEF President, Rateb Rabie, says, "The visit with the Christians of Santiago have had opened new dimensions for HCEF's work. We are very excited about the dedication of the Palestinian Christians leaders in Santiago and all that they have done to introduce our work to the community. They have been instrumental in creating a consciousness about the dire situation of our Mother Church
Newspaper, television, and radio media all took advantage of All the Christians the HCEF delegation's presence, conducting interviews and providing strong coverage of the HCEF events with local political and religious leaders. His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has been invited to the region, and plans are in place for the next HCEF visit and the expansion of the ad hoc committees into a structured HCSN Committee. For more information about how to participate in the formation of this new committee, please contact HCEF directly or contact the HCEF local coordinator in Santiago, Mr. Jamil Nazal at jamilnazzal@vtr.net.
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*The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to improving the lives of Christians in the Holy Land through building bonds of solidarity between Christians in the United States and Christians in the Holy Land. We have two goals: to inform Americans about the Christians in the Holy Land, and to provide humanitarian assistance for the needy in the land where Jesus Christ was born, preached, died and rose again. HCEF, 6935 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 214, Bethesda, MD 20815 (301)951-9400, Toll Free (866) 871-4233 (HCEF), www.hcef.org Email: news@hcef.org
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