His Eminence John Cardinal Foley, Grand Master, Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (Vatican) will be the keynote speaker for The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation’s (HCEF) 11th International Conference, which will be held at The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center located at 3900 Harewood Road, NE in Washington, DC on Saturday, October 24, 2009.

HE Cardinal Foley entered the priesthood in 1962. As an Archbishop, he was named by Pope Benedict XVI Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

In 2007, the Holy Father elevated His Eminence to the College of Cardinals, with the rank of Cardinal Deacon, and assigned him to the titular church of St. Sebastian on the Palatine, with this elevation, Cardinal Foley became the Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre. In his years of devotion to Christ he has served the people of God in many capacities. HE is committed to the use of faith and dialogue as necessary tools for building a lasting peace.

The tone of the conference will be centered on developing dialogue to build peace amongst Christians, Muslims, Jews and will emphasize the ecumenical character of our mission and the importance of continuing to build peace through faith and dialogue, as is consistent with the theme:

Building Peace through Faith and Dialogue

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God” Matthew 5:9

The conference will be replete with other notable and dynamic Christian, Jewish and Muslim speakers who are also committed to spreading the message of peace through dialogue and faith.

HE Cardinal Foley will also be our guest of honor at the Annual Awards Banquet which will be held at the Bethesda Marriot, located at 5151 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, MD on Friday, October 23, 2009.

 Mark your calendars for October 23-24, 2009 to join us for this educational and inspiring event!

Look for more information to come!


HCEF is a nonprofit organization Founded in 1999 by an ecumenical group of American Christians to inform American Christians of the plight of Palestinian Christians. “We seek to replace despair with hope, fear with security, and humiliation with human dignity.”