Clergy add to pressure for Middle East Peace
Date: Aug 11
By Ed Beavan and George Conger

CLERGY from across the country stepped up the pressure on the government to back an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East as Tony Blair called the director of a Christian relief agency asking for advice on the situation. Also this week the Church of England posted a set of prayers and Bible readings to help parishes and individuals pray for peace in the the region.

Church of England representatives in the diocese of Blackburn joined forces with Muslim leaders to call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as the Lebanon crisis entered its fifth week. They handed in a joint petition to the former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who is MP for Blackburn, demanding an end to the violence. Canon Chris Chilvers, Canon Chancellor of Blackburn Cathedral, helped organise the campaign in conjunction with the Lancashire Council of Mosques. He said: “We’re really asking Mr Straw to use his influence as a former Foreign Secretary to press for as swift a ceasefire as possible in the Middle East. “We hope that he would use his high profile and contacts in the Middle East to promote peace. the rest