Religious leaders seek more vigorous U.S. role in Mideast peace

Published: 2007-01-29

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- After meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Jan. 29, a delegation of U.S. Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders said they think the United States should take a more vigorous leadership role in promoting a comprehensive peace in the Middle East. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, said the group met with Rice "to reiterate our strong commitment to a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" and to discuss "the urgent need for United States leadership to restart and successfully conclude negotiations for a lasting and just peace between Israel and the Palestinian people." Cardinal McCarrick, who led off a press briefing afterward outside the Department of State, said the meeting was "substantive and excellent. But the real measure of the success of our meeting can only be taken in the coming weeks and months as actions and events unfold." The religious leaders belong to the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East, a coalition of 35 leaders of national religious bodies or organizations that was formed in 2003 to press for a more constructive and comprehensive U.S. approach to Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace.

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