The Primate of All Ireland endorses the EAPPI

The EAPPI has received the endorsement of the Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Revd Alan ET Harper. In a very warm letter dated the 2nd of June he states:

"I am very willing, publicly to endorse the work of the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel and wish to salute the brave and important work of the Ecumenical Accompaniers on the ground. ... Should the opportunity arise for you to pass on my good wishes and prayers not only for the work of the Programme but also for the accompaniers on the ground I should be most grateful."

Alan Harper had visited Israel-Palestine in spring 2008 together with other heads of Irish Churches. Ingrid Colvin, Irish EA who served in Group 29, sent him her newsletters from Jayyous last autumn and she also followed up by meeting him in person when she was back in Ireland.

 
For a couple of years now, Irish and UK EAs who have returned from Israel-Palestine have been asking individual Anglican bishops to endorse the programme in lieu of the fact that their Churches will not become EAPPI partners because of the nature of the structure of this Church. So far, seven Anglican bishops (all of them in the UK) have endorsed the EAPPI and Alan Harper is the eighth Anglican bishop and the first in Ireland.