New Chair for charity supporting Christians in the Holy Land

May 14th, 2024

Bishop William Kenney

Source: Friends of the Holy Land

Friends of the Holy Land has warmly thanked Jim Quinn, who retired last month as both a Trustee and Chair. Jim had been a Trustee since 2013 and "we are most grateful for his many years of guidance and dedicated service, helping Friends of the Holy Land grow to where it is today."

And it announced this week that Emeritus Bishop William Kenney, Auxiliary in Birmingham, is its new chair.

Bishop William is well known for his work internationally, especially the Middle East, being involved for many years with the Holy See's Holy Land Coordination. He was formerly General Secretary of the Scandinavian Bishops' Conference, and member of the Catholic Bishops' Conference for Europe. A co-founder of the Gothenburg Process on Small Arms he was also formerly a President of Caritas Europa and a member of the legal affairs commission of Caritas International.

A major part of the work of his life has concerned the problems of refugees and immigrants within Europe and the building up of the Caritas organisations in the eastern part of Europe. Through a Papal appointment in 2013, he is also co-chair of the international conversations between the Lutheran and Catholic Churches.

Bishop William has taught in universities in Sweden and lectures widely. He is on the Advisory Board of the Las Casas Institute which promotes critical reflection on questions of human dignity in the light of Catholic Social Teaching and Theology. He is also a Trustee of the Santa Marta Group, the Papal organisation concerned with human trafficking and modern slavery, and the Newman Trust.

Bishop William commented: "It is with great pleasure that I have accepted the Chair of Trustees position of Friends of the Holy Land for the next two years. I am honoured to follow Jim Quinn in that position. With the ongoing war in Gaza and the general unrest in the Holy Land at present, no one knows what the future will hold. The work of Friends of the Holy Land is going to be even more important as we move into a post-war situation where there will be desperate need in Gaza and the West Bank. Our hope is in the Risen Lord as we attempt to help those who now live in the land where He lived when on Earth."

Friends of the Holy Land is an ecumenical Christian Charity, working from an office in Kenilworth, but with groups and supporters across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Friends of the Holy Land has been operating for over 15 years and is unique among UK charities as it is also registered as a charity in Palestine. This allows it to operate an office and staff in Bethlehem, as well as operating its own local bank account. This is essential to provide swift support to vulnerable Christians. In addition to meeting their direct emergency needs, the team in Bethlehem also works with other partner agencies to support vulnerable Christians with medical costs, school fees and projects to improve life and generate an income through the dignity of work and entrepreneurship.