Episcopal Bishop will lead Latin American Council of Churches

PANAMA 050222-1 February 22, 2007

[Iglesia Episcopal de Panamá - Central America] The Rt. Rev. Julio Ernesto Murray T., Bishop of Panama, was elected President of the Latin American Council of Churches at the V Assembly of this ecumenical body, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He will succeed Bishop Julio Cesar Holguin of the Dominican Episcopal Church, who served in this capacity since the IV Assembly in 2001.

The Latin American Council of Churches or Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias (in Spanish, also referred to as CLAI) is an organization of churches and Christian movements that was founded in 1982 to promote the unity among Christians of the continent.

More than 150 churches from 21 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean Islands integrate this coalition of Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal, United Evangelical, Lutheran, Moravian, Mennonite, Methodist, Nazarene, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Reformed and Valdenses churches, as well as specialized Christian organisms dedicated to Youth Ministry, Theological Education and Christian Education.

Shortly after the election CLAI's web page stated that the election occurred on the third ballot, leaving Bishop Murray with the support of 56% of the 154 voting members. He was followed by Bishop Felipe Adolf of the Lutheran Church of Ecuador who obtained 44% of the votes.

The other candidates to be considered by the electors represented the other three geographical regions of CLAI as follows: Francisco Duque from the Anglican Church of Colombia, Noemi Espinoza from the Reformed Church of Honduras and Oscar Bolioli, President of the Uruguayan Methodist Church.

Bishop Murray, 48 years old, is the actual vice-President of the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of the Central Region of America (IARCA); Vice-president of the Afro-Caribbean Community of Theologians.

Consecrated in 2000, he has served as a member of the Panama Truth Commission in 2003 by request of the President Mireya Moscoso; as a "guarantor" of the National Dialogue to amend the Social Security Law in Panama and; as a member of the Special Commission for the establishment of national policies of total inclusion for Panamanian Afro descendants, both tasks appointed by President Martin Torrijos in 2005.