The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, begins a six-day pastoral visit to the Middle East this week taking in Bahrain and Qatar (Wednesday 31 October 2001).
He will be accompanied by his wife, Mrs Eileen Carey; the Archbishop of Canterbury's Officer for the Anglican Communion, Canon Dr Herman Browne, and the Archbishop's Press Secretary, Revd Jonathan Jennings.
The visit is at the invitation of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, the Rt Revd Clive Handford. The Archbishop's primary purpose is to visit and be alongside long-established Christian communities.
In Bahrain, the Archbishop will visit St Christopher's Anglican Cathedral and lead a service of Confirmation; he will visit the church in Awali and attend worship in St Christopher's church in Isa Town. He will spend time at St Christopher's school and meet with leaders of the Bahrain British Business Forum. He will also deliver a lecture at the Beit Al Qur'an, an Islamic cultural centre with a large library and exhibition centre.
In Qatar, the Archbishop will lead worship in the English Language school, used by the Christian community in Doha. As well as meeting local Muslim scholars, he will attend an ecumenical gathering of clergy and meet with the British Business Forum in Doha.