St. John’s University, Jamaica, NY is hosting the 2003 National Assembly of Pax Christi “A World on the Brink: A Gated Empire or Global Solidarity?” – August 1-3, 2003Michel Sabbah- Msgr. Michel Sabbah is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. As former President of the Middle East Council of Churches, he is very experienced with ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue. Coming from a region where violence and bloodshed engulfs the lives of so many people, Msgr. Sabbah courageously calls the attention of the international community to the root causes that spawn the conditions of hatred and violence, such as the worsening disparities between the rich and poor, the denial of human dignity, the lack of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, social injustice, intolerable refugee situations, internal and external displacement and physical or psychological oppression. In his own country, Msgr. Sabbah never ceases to call for greater justice for the Palestinian people so that the Israelis and Palestinians can live together in peace and mutual trust. He has served as President of Pax Christi International since July 1999.
Njoki Njehu- Njoki Njehu is the director of the 50 Years is Enough Network. She is a Kenyan national who worked with women’s groups and the Greenbelt Movement in Kenya before coming to the U.S. for college in 1986. Previously she worked for Greenpeace International for three years where she focused on the international toxic trade and on biodiversity and oceans issues. She joined the 50 Years Is Enough Network in July 1996 and became Director in October 1998. She serves on the board of the Quixote Center, and on the Advisory Committees of the Campaign for Labor Rights and ACERCA. She is a member of the International Coordinating Committee of the World Social Forum, the Africa Social Forum, and a volunteer in various capacities, especially fundraising in support of groups in the Global South.
