Archbishop Chacour was born in Palestine in 1939. He became a priest in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, which traces its roots to the Byzantine period. Father Chacour is Archbishop of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth, and All Galilee. He has worked tirelessly for reconciliation between Arabs and Jews in the Middle East and is author of several books, including Blood Brothers and We Belong to the Land. He is a recipient of the World Methodist Peace Award and the Niwano (Buddhist) Peace Prize for his work in education as founder of the Mar Elias Educational Institutions, which have more than 3,000 students and faculty, including Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Jews.