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The Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Information |
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| 10.09.2002 |
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| Council Press Release No. 3 - LWF President Krause Appeals to Churches to Shun Religious Confrontation |
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President’s Address to Council: Common Lutheran Confession Gives Rise to a Committed Global Communion
WITTENBERG, Germany/GENEVA, 10 September 2002 (LWI) – The President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Bishop emeritus Dr. Christian Krause has urged LWF member churches to do everything possible to ensure that “no confrontation between religions is allowed to develop anywhere in the world.”
“However unambiguously we may condemn and combat terrorism and however committed our solidarity with the victims,” propagating sweeping hostile images, primarily of Arabs and Islam, and issuing threats of war along these lines is “counter-productive for the peace to which our churches are committed,” Krause told church representatives attending the 2002 LWF Council Meeting taking place September 10-17 in the Luther city of Wittenberg, Germany.
In his address to the 49-member annual governing body of the LWF, Krause recalled his post-September 11 visit to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, during which he appealed to the church’s bishops’ conference not to follow the tendency to adopt hostile images associated with an “axis of evil” but instead strive for “an axis of hope” including actively seeking to dialogue with other religions especially with Islam.
The September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D. C., (USA) and the consequent measures by the United State-led to counter this form of violence must not be “misinterpreted as some kind of power struggle between the religions,” Krause said.
Krause underscored the need for a new dialogue with North America on the overall perception of violence since the terrorist attacks. He cited his experience in Indonesia last April where Christian churches, which represent the minority population, have been seeking and engaging in dialogue with Islamic leaders even after a number of conflicts with fundamentalist Muslim groups.
LWF Stands in Solidarity with Palestinian Lutheran Church
Krause noted that this year’s Council meeting should again have taken place in Jerusalem, but was shifted because of the current situation there. He express profound recognition to members and staff of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ) under the leadership of Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan for their commitment under very difficult conditions. “The communion of our churches is standing by their side in solidarity,” Krause said, citing their efforts to be “axes of hope” by facilitating the encounter between the “children of Abraham”, namely Jews, Christians and Muslims. A member of the LWF since 1974, the ELCJ has around 3,000 members with congregations in Jerusalem, Jordan and Palestine.
Document “Churches Say ‘No’ to Violence against Women,” and Fight against HIV/AIDS
Central Aspects of LWF Work
Turning to the LWF churches’ specific involvement in overcoming violence, Krause referred to “Churches say ‘No’ to Violence against Women,” a program of the Women in Church and Society desk of the Department for Mission and Development, with a recently developed publication bearing the same title. “I am happy and thankful that we in the LWF have promoted precisely that [concern] as a priority program,” he said pointing out that the growth of a civilization of humanity and solidarity with the weak is essentially related to a clear, comprehensive “No” to violence against women. He said this process must be followed with greater intensity in connection with the LWF Tenth Assembly theme “For the Healing of the World.”
Another related concern is the LWF global campaign to combat HIV/AIDS. Krause noted that the fight against this disease not only related to medical problems but deals with a variety of inter-related aspects of culture, social situations, morality, education and religion. In this respect, he particularly recognized a recent initiative of the LWF African member churches, - a first Pan-African Lutheran Church Leadership Consultation on HIV/AIDS Challenges, called to plan the further promotion of and training for this pastoral ministry. Although a global problem, the HIV/AIDS impact especially on the African continent, is developing into a catastrophe affecting millions of people particularly women and children.
Many ‘Natural Disasters’ Preceded by Acts of Violence
Krause also paid tribute to the work of the LWF Department for World Service (in association with other aid agencies) which is regularly responding to the emergency and humanitarian needs of people affected by disasters worldwide such as flooding, hurricanes and drought, as well as the resettlement and care for refugees and displaced persons. He noted that the current Council meeting indeed takes place in an area that was affected by the recent flooding in Europe after the river Elbe burst its banks and tributaries sending a violent wave of waters through the neighboring towns and villages. He expressed gratitude for the assistance given not only by the public authorities but also by numerous congregations, agencies and individuals. It was his hope that the insights and experiences gained during the present meeting would help “sharpen our awareness that solidarity with the victims of whatever violence and in whatever place is always indivisible and must exclude no one.”
For Krause, “there can be no doubt that the rapidly increasing number of ‘natural disasters’ usually related to the weather and the force of their threat to life, have been preceded by many acts of violence” and violations committed by human beings in relation to nature. He cited international climate conferences of recent years (Rio and Kyoto) and the just-ended Johannesburg conference for “sustainable development” as indications of the clear and intrinsic links between, and mutual influence of, injustice, destruction of the natural environment, hunger, disease and oppression, including terrorism as well.
Krause pointed out, as an international organization, the LWF through its worldwide network of churches, must be ready “to influence our own governments and the economy, so that binding, international agreements can be reached and implemented.” He regretted that “the most important great power of our time, namely the USA,” is listed among countries that refuse to recognize conventions as significant as the climate treaty of Kyoto, the establishment of an International Court of Justice or the results of the Johannesburg conference on development as binding for their own domain.
Ecumenical Dimension of the Lutheran Confession
On the current debate in Germany about church structures, Krause explained the uniqueness of German Protestantism, which even today, is based on the decisions of the Imperial Diet at Augsburg in 1555 which resulted in confessional loyalties being divided according to regions. The 19th century Prussian monarchy brought the Reformed and Lutheran congregations in its domains together to form one United church. Even in places where that and other regional United churches consisted predominantly of Lutheran congregations, they did not join the LWF or other world confessional family later – with the exception of the Evangelical Church of Pomerania. The Evangelical Church of the Province of Saxony, previously part of Prussia, and with congregations in the Luther towns of Eisleben and Wittenberg, still does not belong to the LWF.
Efforts are again being made today to take this overall development of a German Protestantism as a starting point and to strengthen the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) as the “umbrella organization” for all 24 autonomous regional churches. Krause noted that although the LWF should not intervene in an internal German debate on church structures, it “is nevertheless very important for the communion of churches in the LWF how and in which direction the German member churches move, because they still constitute a significant factor, despite their considerably shrinking congregations.”
For Krause, the ecumenical dimension of the Lutheran confession, which allows for openness toward cooperation in dialogue and action, and “our common confession” that gives rise to a committed global communion, are characteristics of the LWF which are important for the life of each individual member church in its own national context.
Staff of the LWF Office for Communication Services at the Council meeting can be contacted at German mobile telephone No., +49-(0) 170-8345 177.
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