AMMAN, Jordan, JUNE 17, 2007

The World Council of Churches convened an international conference to consider peace prospects in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Greek Orthodox and Latin patriarchs of Jerusalem are participating.

The five-day event titled "Churches Together for Peace With Justice in the Middle East" began today. It will provide a forum for Middle Eastern church leaders to lay out their expectations for a just peace.

Samuel Kobia, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, will open the conference. Other speakers will include Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and other Middle Eastern church leaders.

Some 130 participants from the World Conference's member churches and related international organizations are participating.

The agenda includes a sharing of lessons learned by members of churches from other regions during conflicts in their countries, including South Africa, Sudan, Colombia and Sri Lanka, with an emphasis on the churches' role in peacemaking and sustaining peace when conflict ends.

The event will conclude with the launch of an international, interchurch advocacy initiative called "The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum." It will enable churches around the world to cooperate more closely as advocates for peace with justice in the Middle East.