The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, begins a four-day pastoral visit to the Holy Land tomorrow (Friday, 27 July 2001).

He will be accompanied by his wife, Mrs Eileen Carey; The Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Robin Eames; The Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion, Canon John Peterson and the Archbishop of Canterbury's Officer for the Anglican Communion, The Revd Dr Herman Browne.

The visit is at the invitation of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, The Rt Revd Riah Abu El-Assal. The Archbishop's primary purpose is to support and be alongside Christian communities at a time of intense pressure.

The Archbishop will preach at Evensong in St George's Cathedral in Jerusalem on Saturday and preside at Holy Communion on Sunday.

He is also expected to meet a number of religious and political leaders, including the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and the Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat.

Dr Carey and his party will visit a number of major projects and initiatives with which the Anglican diocese of Jerusalem is closely involved, including a rehabilitation centre at Beit Jala, the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, and a centre for disabled children in Jerusalem.

Notes for Editors

The Diocese of Jerusalem, founded in 1841, is part of the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East, which includes congregations in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The Anglican community in the diocese consists of 7,000 communicants who run many educational and care institutions. Provinces of the Anglican Communion have shown support for the Church's ministry to the diocese through the Jerusalem 2000 Appeal, which has so far made grants in excess of £300,000. This appeal was set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America.

The aim of the Jerusalem 2000 Appeal is to provide long term capital development projects to alleviate the plight of Christians, Muslims and Jews caught up in the current violence in the Holy Land.