16.07.2003
LWF Pre-Assembly Youth: American Journalist Krystal Greene Calls for Fight against Injustice
Our Families, Communities, Children and Churches Need Help and ProtectionGUELPH, Canada/GENEVA, 16 July 2003 (LWI) – The issue of human rights and access to medical care should be taken up and more attention paid to social and political topics pin order to promote a more just and peaceful society, United States journalist Krystal Greene told young adults participating in the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Pre-Assembly Youth Conference (PAYC) in Guelph, near Toronto, Canada.
Referring to the United Nations human development index, Greene pointed out that of the 4.6 billion people living in developing countries, about 850 million cannot read or write, one billion have no access to improved water sources and 2.4 billion do not have basic sanitation. Worldwide, almost three billion people live on less than two dollars a day, and an estimated four million babies die annually in their first week of birth. "Our families, our communities, our children and our churches are in need of service and protection," emphasized the journalist, who is a moderator on Channel One News, a US School TV network with about eight million daily viewers.
She said the suffering endured by an overwhelming number of people worldwide meant that families and communities are fragmented and the children could not reach their full potential. She expressed her conviction that those who advocated on behalf of the poor were making a connection between the needs of those struggling for human dignity and those who had the desire and commitment to save lives. This is how the process of healing injustice in the world begins, she said.
It was impossible to live out one's faith and discipleship without caring for other people and the creation. Greene criticized the many walls that separate people from one another - materialism, consumerism, prejudice, class, origin, miscommunication and misunderstanding. Too often those who appeared different and did not share the same experiences were excluded.
In her presentation Greene called on the churches not to tolerate any injustice like poverty, human rights violations, exclusion based on ethnicity, gender or class. Without dialogue healing could not begin. In an age in which poverty was growing at an alarming pace and HIV/AIDS was claiming millions of lives each year the task ahead clear, she said. It was to struggle for the respect for human rights and against divisions in the church and society.
About 90 youth delegates and stewards from 54 countries are attending the pre-assembly youth conference. It is the last of seven conferences in the lead-up to the Tenth LWF Assembly, concerned with its theme and content from the perspectives of women and young people.
The LWF Assembly on the theme of "For the Healing of the World," will take place 21-31 July 2003 in Winnipeg, Canada, hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Around 800 participants are expected including over 400 delegates from the LWF member churches. The assembly is the LWF's highest decision-making body and generally meets every six years.
For the full text of Krystel Greene's address: www.lwf-assembly.org/lwfimages/Healing_Krystel_Greene.pdf
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