Bishop Samir H. Kafity 1984-1998
Public Relation; Partnership with Anglican Dioceses and other churches;
Building and renovating of churches and other institutions.

Bishop Samir Hanna Kafity was born in Haifa in 1933 and was educated at St. John’s School, Haifa, and at the Friends Boys School, Rammallah. He was accepted by the Council of the EEC as a candidate for ordination in 1952 and he graduated from the Near East School of Theology and the American University of Beirut in 1957. He was ordained deacon in 1957 and priest in 1958 and served first at St. Andrew’s Church Rammallah, then in Beirut at All Saints Church. From 1976-1982 he was Executive Secretary of the Diocesan Council. In 1982 he was elected as coadjutor-Bishop and was consecrated on the 15th of July 1982. He was installed as Bishop in Jerusalem on the 6th of January 1984. Bishop Samir’s gifts, were mainly in public relations, and in pastoral and administrative innovations. He was able during the fifteen years in office to renovate several church buildings, and build new ones. He opened St Margaret’s Hostel in Nazareth and dedicated it as a hostel for pilgrims and the conference center. He also renovated and modernized St. George’s Hostel; but he took special interest in completing a third floor for St. George’s College in 1985. He was able to create much interest for the Jerusalem Diocese and St. George’s College in many countries, especially in the USA, Austria, New Zealand and Britain. He succeeded in renovating and building an extra wing at St. Lukes’ Hospital or the Arab Evangelical Hospital in Nablus and that of the Ahli Hospital in Gaza, both hospitals serving a large Palestinian refugee population. As far as ordination candidates are concerned he believed in taking risks in their choice. He is known for ordaining many more candidates, than any other bishop before him. However, few of those ordination candidates left and now have secular jobs. He linked the diocese in a partnership association with several dioceses specially in the USA, and also with other churches, like the church of Scotland, the Lutheran Church of Finland, the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches in the USA. The Churches of South West Germany are also in partnership with the diocese having a relation and interest in the Schneller Trade School in Amman, Jordan. Samir gained the notice of the Crown Prince of Jordan, Prince Hasan in relation to Christian- Muslim dialogue and attended conferences in Amman, Sudan, and Spain on this important subject. Chairman Arafat made him one of his consultants in August 1988.