Human Lives Are ‘Not For Sale’

The LWF Offers Condolences over Dhaka Disaster

GENEVA, 25 April 2013 (LWI) – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has expressed its “deep pain” over the collapse of the Rana Plaza building outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 24 April, which claimed hundreds of lives, noting that human beings should not be sacrificed for profit.

“We realize that once more many lives were lost because of disregard for safety and security regulations,” LWF General Secretary Rev. Martin Junge said in a 25 April letter to Bishop Arobindu Bormon of The Bangladesh Lutheran Church and Rev. Paulus Hasdak of The Bangladesh Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church.

“As people of faith we are reminded of the incommensurable value of each person. Every single life has its own dignity and beauty because of God, who is the Creator of all life on earth. Human lives are therefore ‘not for sale’ and their value should never be subordinated to the rules of profit and competition in the global market,” Junge added.

An estimated 3000 garment workers, who were employed in factories that supply clothing shops in the West, were in the building as it collapsed. Officials said 380 people were confirmed dead. Thousands are still unaccounted for.

Bangladesh’s garment industry is one of the country’s biggest employers and earners of foreign exchange but it has been plagued by disasters.

The general secretary offered the “heartfelt condolences” of the worldwide Lutheran Communion to the people of Bangladesh, saying that the LWF joined the people and churches in the country in mourning and prayer, particularly for those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.

“We know that it is in these moments that people tend to look for words of comfort, peace and hope and look for spiritual guidance for the difficult path ahead,” Junge said.

“I pray for the churches in Bangladesh so that they may find wisdom and courage to offer pastoral support to their communities and to speak truth to power during these challenging times.”

The LWF has two member churches in Bangladesh and is present through the humanitarian and development organization RDRS, which operates as an associate program of the LWF Department for World Service. Since 1972, RDRS has worked for poverty alleviation among landless and tenant farmers in the northwest of the country and is annually in contact with almost 1 million people.

In his letter of April 25 Junge pointed to the solace offered in Scripture, quoting from Psalm 22:24: “For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard me when I cried to him.”

Junge concluded: “May the witness of the church be sustained by this faith and this conviction.”

The Spell of Pope Francis

Francis has gotten largely good press, though the honeymoon may be starting to wane

ROME – A stir has been made, in the media by the critical remark that Pope Francis reserved for the IOR, the Institute for Works of Religion, the controversial Vatican “bank,” in the homily for his morning Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae on Wednesday, April 24:

 

"When the Church wants to throw its weight around and sets up organizations, and sets up offices and becomes a bit bureaucratic, the Church loses its principal substance and runs the risk of turning itself into an NGO. And the Church is not an NGO. It is a love story. . . But there are those guys at the IOR. . . Excuse me, eh?. . . Everything is necessary, the offices are necessary. . . okay, fine! But they are necessary up to a certain point: as an aid to this love story. But when the organization takes the top spot, love steps down and the Church, poor thing, becomes an NGO. And this is not the way.”

 

Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio delivers these morning homilies completely off-the-cuff. And the passage reproduced above is the literal transcription provided a few hours afterward by Vatican Radio.

 

But that same day, in reporting on the same homily in another way, "L'Osservatore Romano" left out the aside: “But there are those guys at the IOR. . . Excuse me, eh?”

 

This disparity between the radio and the newspaper of the Holy See is an indication of the uncertainty that still reigns at the Vatican on what kind of media treatment to give the weekday homilies of the pope, the ones that he delivers at the 7 a.m. Mass, in the chapel of the residence where he is living.

 

To these Masses are admitted a selection of the public, different each morning. And among those present on April 24 a fair number were employees of the IOR.

 

These homilies of the pope are recorded in their entirety. But they do not undergo the procedure for his official discourses, when it comes to the parts improvised off-the-cuff.

 

That is, they are not transcribed from the audio recording, cleaned up in thought and expression, then submitted to the pope and finally made public in the approved text.

 

The complete texts of the weekday homilies of pope Bergoglio remain secret. Only two partial summaries of it are provided, by Vatican Radio and by "L'Osservatore Romano," redacted independently of one another and therefore with a greater or lesser extent of word-for-word citations.

 

It is not known whether this practice - aimed both at safeguarding the pope's freedom of speech and at defending it from the risks of improvisation - will be maintained or modified.

 

The fact is that what becomes known of these semipublic homilies is by now an important part of the oratory typical of Pope Francis.

 

*

 

It is a concise, simple, conversational oratory, tethered to words or images of immediate communicative impact.

 

For example:

 

- the image of “God spray,” used by Pope Francis on April 18 to warn against the idea of an impersonal God “that is a bit everywhere but one does not know what it may be”;

 

- or the image of “babysitter Church,” used on April 17 to stigmatize a Church that only “takes care of children to put them to sleep,” instead of acting as a mother with her children;

 

- or the formula “satellite Christians,” used on April 22 to brand those Christians who allow their conduct to be dictated by “common sense” and by “worldly prudence,” instead of by Jesus. 

 

Stefania Falasca, an old friend of Bergoglio - who telephoned her on the evening of his election - asked him after one morning Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae: "Father, but how do these expressions come to you?”

 

“A simple smile was his reply.” In Falasca's judgment, the use of such expressions on the part of the pope “in literary terms is called 'pastiche,' which is precisely the juxtaposition of words of different levels or different registers with expressive effect. The 'pastiche' style is today a typical feature of communication on the web and of postmodern language. This is therefore a matter of linguistic associations unprecedented in the history of the Petrine magisterium.”

 

In an April 23 editorial in the newspaper of the Italian episcopal conference, "Avvenire," Falasca compared the oratory of Pope Francis to the "sermo humilis" theorized by St. Augustine.

 

Pope Bergoglio is also introducing this style into his official homilies and discourses. For example, in the homily for the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, in St. Peter's Basilica, he made a very striking exhortation to the pastors of the Church, bishops and priests, to take on “the odor of the sheep.”

 

Another typical feature of his preaching is interacting with the crowd, getting it to respond in chorus. He did so for the first time and repeatedly at the “Regina Coeli" of Sunday, April 21, for example when he said: “Thank you very much for the greeting, but you should also greet Jesus. Yell 'Jesus' loud!" And the cry of "Jesus" in fact went up from St. Peter's Square.

 

*

 

The popularity of Pope Francis is due to a large extent this style of preaching and to the easy, widespread success of the concepts on which he insists the most - mercy, forgiveness, the poor, the “peripheries” - seen reflected in his actions and in his own person.

 

It is a popularity that acts as a screen for the other more inconvenient things that he does not neglect to say - for example, his frequent references to the devil - and that if said by others would unleash criticism, while for him they are forgiven.

 

In effect, the media have so far covered up with indulgent silence not only the references of the current pope to the devil, but also a whole series of other pronouncements on points of doctrine as controversial as they are essential.

 

On April 12, for example, speaking to the pontifical biblical commission, Pope Francis reiterated that “the interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures cannot be solely an individual scholarly effort, but must always be compared with, inserted within, and authenticated by the living tradition of the Church.” And therefore “this entails the insufficiency of any interpretation that is subjective or simply limited to an analysis incapable of accommodating within itself that overarching sense which over the course of the centuries has constituted the tradition of the whole people of God.”

 

This salvo of the pope against the forms of exegesis prevalent also in the Catholic camp went practically unnoticed, amid the general silence of the media.

 

On April 19, in his morning homily, he lashed out against the “great ideologists” who want to interpret Jesus in a purely human vein. He called them “intellectuals without talent, ethicists without goodness. And of beauty we will not speak, because they do not understand anything.”

 

In this case as well, silence.

 

On April 22, in another morning homily, he said forcefully that Jesus is “the only gate” for entering into the Kingdom of God and “all the other paths are deceptive, they are not true, they are false.”

 

With this he therefore reiterated that indispensable truth of the Catholic faith which recognizes in Jesus Christ the only savior of all. But when in August of 2000 John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger published precisely on this the declaration “Dominus Iesus," they were bitterly contested from inside and outside of the Church. While now that Pope Francis has said the same thing, everybody quiet.

 

On April 23, the feast of St. George, in the homily of the Mass with the cardinals in the Pauline Chapel, he said that “the Christian identity is a belonging to the Church, because to find Jesus outside of the Church is not possible.” 

 

And this time as well, silence. And yet the thesis according to which “extra Ecclesiam nulla salus," which he has reaffirmed, is almost always a herald of polemics. . .

 

*

 

This benevolence of the media toward Pope Francis is one of the features that characterize the beginning of this pontificate.

 

The gentleness with which he is able to speak even the most uncomfortable truths facilitates this benevolence. But it is easy to predict that sooner or later it will cool down and give way to a reappearance of criticism.

 

The first warning came after pope Bergoglio, on April 15, confirmed the strict approach of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith in dealing with the case of the sisters of the United States represented by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

 

The protests that were immediately raised by these sisters and by the “liberal” currents of Catholicism, not only American, resounded as the beginning of the breaking of a spell.

UBARIKIO WA MKUU WA JIMBO  ULIOFANYIKA HUKO IHEMI KATIKA PICHA 

 BABA ASKOFU DKT. O.M MDEGELLA AKIWA NA MSAIDIZI WAKE TAYARI KUELEKEA KATIKA IBADA

               MKUU WA JIMBO MTEULE AKIWA TAYARI KATIKA MSTARI TAYARI KUELEKEA KATIKA UBARIKIO WAKE

 KATIBU MKUU BW. NAYMAN CHAVALLA AKIWA NA MKUU WA JIMBO MCHG. AGNES KULANGA

 KATIBU MKUU AKIFURAHIA JAMBO KULIA KWAKE NI BABA ASKOFU DKT. O.M. MDEGELLA

 KWAYA NA BENDI ZIKITUMBUIZA  KUONGOZA MSAFARA KUELEKEA KANISANI

 WAKUU WA MAJIMBO WAKIFUATILIA MATUKIO KATIKA IBADA HIYO

 KATIBU MKUU BW. NAYMAN CHAVALLA NA MTUNZA HAZINA WA DAYOSISI BW. NOEL ILOMO KATIKATI  WAKIFUATILIA JAMBO

 "PONGEZI KWAKO BABA" NI MANENO YA MAMA MCHG. AIKAM CHAVALLA 

HAPA MCHG. AIKAM CHAVALLA AKIWA TAYARI NA VAZI LAKE  RASMI

                            World Council of Churches 
                    ISSUES IN THIS WEEK

SOUTH SUDAN PRESIDENT EXPRESSES APPRECIATION FOR CHURCHES’ CONTRIBUTION TO THE NEW NATION

South Sudan president Salva Kiir Mayardit emphasized the strong potential of churches in helping to develop their new country. His comments came during a conversation with the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, who visited Friday, 25 April in the capital city, Juba, where Tveit also visited with the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC).

South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011 following a referendum mandated by the 2006 peace pact that ended Africa’s longest-running civil war. The WCC was deeply engaged in the peace process.

During the meeting Kiir expressed his appreciation for Christian organizations, saying that they “always played an important role in providing humanitarian assistance in the times of conflict.” He mentioned different projects including Christian hospitals and emergency responses that continued to run during the time of conflict.

“After the independence of South Sudan, it is the churches who have the capability to bring people together and help rebuild the country,”said Kiir.

“South Sudan is a state where all religious communities, including Christians, can work freely, and their contributions for the social betterment regardless of their religious associations, are welcomed,” he added.

Tveit told President Kiir, “We are committed to continue work with churches for justice and peace in the new South Sudan. The confidence in the churches and their leaders is a great asset for the healing and peace in the country and its people.”

Noting the challenges facing the peoples and churches of Sudan and South Sudan, Tveit said, “Continuing with their legacy, Sudanese churches must carry on their struggles for peace in their countries despite the separation. The churches are carrying values of human rights, democracy and reconciliation. We strongly support such processes, and we keep them in our prayers.”

The hopes of the WCC are to accompany churches in Sudan working to overcome the impact of the conflict and supporting their efforts towards lasting peace, Tveit said.

“The concept of just peace situated at the heart of the global church becomes even more significant in the context of South Sudan. Here the challenge of balancing justice with peace means, for the churches, helping build a new life for communities following a long and tenacious history of conflict,” Tveit said.

During his stay in Juba, Tveit met with a group of Sudanese church leaders led by Rev. Mark Akec Cien, SCC's acting general secretar. The group, included Bishop Michael Taban Toro, SCC's chairperson, SCC's ecumenical relations officer Rev. Emmanuel Natania, Archbishop Paolino Lukudu Loro and Rev. Dr Daniel Deng Bul.

Speaking to the SCC staff and board members, he affirmed the great significance of the work of the council of churches in South Sudan.

Staff of ACT Alliance based in South Sudan participated in the meeting. Anne Masterson, country representative of ACT member Norwegian Church Aid shared with the general secretary about their programmes for peace building, emergency response and community projects in the country.

PALM SUNDAY SHADOWED BY KIDNAPPING OF ALEPPO CHURCH LEADERS

For the first time in their history, the patriarch of the Antiochian Orthodox Church has asked the believers to adorn the traditional Palm Sunday processions with black ribbons tied on candles rather than the usual white ribbons expressing their sadness because of the two abducted church leaders from Aleppo, Syria.

It is also a symbolic action, meaning that this year’s Easter in the region approaches “at a time when we are being surrounded by much pain and suffering”.

On Monday, 22 April, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Paul Yazigi of Aleppo and Alexandretta and Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim of Aleppo were kidnapped en route to Aleppo by unknown assailants after returning from a humanitarian mission near the Turkish border region.  Their driver, Fatha’ Allah Kabboud, a deacon in the Syriac Orthodox Church, was killed in the incident.

In a pastoral letter issued Saturday, H.B. John X, the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East, said “let our processions be this year with candles tied with black ribbons, chanting the hymn: ‘To Thee O Champion Leader…,’ instead of the hymn ‘Rejoice O Bethany.’”

For Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches around the world Palm Sunday this year is recognized on Sunday, 28 April with the following Sunday, 5 May being Easter Sunday. Protestant and Roman Catholic churches celebrated Easter on 31 March.

“Since we are the children of the Resurrection, we are not afraid of whoever takes violence as a way to achieve his purpose,” John X wrote in the letter. “To be killed, or kidnapped, or to have our institutions destroyed, will not change our resolve to uphold our civil life and our co-existence; to cling to our homeland and to seek the reign of justice and rights in our homelands.”

In his letter John X urged the international community to do everything it can to find and release the two archbishops.  He also called for a quick solution to the conflict in Syria.

“There is no news about the kidnapping from the churches in the region,” Michel Nseir, WCC programme executive for the Middle East said Saturday. “We are in permanent contact with them, and we continue to pray that our two Archbishops will be released.”

Toward the end of his letter John X wrote, “In this time, let us exceptionally intensify our prayers and supplications. Just as our Lord was not afraid to walk the path of Calvary; in the same way we are invited to walk with Him along this path.”

SUDANESE CHURCHES AN IMPORTANT VOICE IN REBUILDING NATION

In his meeting with the Sudanese minister Alfatih T. Abdallah, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit stressed the important role of Sudanese churches in rebuilding their nation after years of conflict, along with the assurance of their religious freedoms.

ECUMENICAL COMMUNITY OFFERS PRAYER FOR MISSING ARCHBISHOPS

Two Christian bishops from Aleppo, Syria, were supported in prayer at a special service in the chapel of the Ecumenical Centre, home of the World Council of Churches, in Geneva on Thursday, 25 April.

GREEK AND SYRIAC PATRIARCHS ISSUE JOINT COMMUNIQUE ON ALEPPO CHURCH LEADERS’ KIDNAPPING

As the uncertainty of the whereabouts of two Syrian church leaders kidnapped in Syria on Monday continued Wednesday, the patriarchs of the Greek Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox churches have issued a joint communique calling on churches around the world to “stand fast in the face of what is going on and witness to their faith in the power of love in this world.”

WCC GENERAL SECRETARY CONDEMNS KIDNAPPING OF SYRIAN CHURCH LEADERS

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, has strongly condemned the abduction of two Syrian archbishops who were kidnapped yesterday near Aleppo in Syria.

    
CARIBBEAN CHURCHES REFLECT ON NEW DIRECTIONS FOR DIACONAL WORK

“Diakonia must be done through action, social services, advocacy and challenging systems and structures that create injustice and dehumanization of people,” said Rev. Dr Paul Gardner of Jamaica at a seminar in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which included a visit by the president of Haiti.

    
WCC GENERAL SECRETARY AND EGYPT'S GRAND MUFTI PROMOTE DIALOGUE FOR PEACEFUL RELATIONS

The WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit met with Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim in Cairo. In their meeting the religious leaders engaged in in-depth dialogue to promote peaceful relations among diverse communities and values for equal citizenship.

    

EGYPTIAN YOUTH OFFERS HOPE TO THE WORLD

“The eyes of the world are looking towards Egyptian youth, who are capable of changing the future of their country by offering hope and inspiration to the world. We keep them in our prayers,” said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC.

    
WCC AND PARTNERS STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIP IN ADVANCE OF ASSEMBLY

The upcoming 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) is not only a pivotal moment in the life of the WCC global fellowship of 345 member churches but also a defining moment for the WCC and its programmatic and financial partners or "specialized ministries."

    
GENERAL SECRETARY AND POPE TAWADROS II DISCUSS HOPES FOR CHURCH IN EGYPT

WCC general secretary Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit met in Egypt on Sunday, 21 April, with Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, discussing post-revolution developments in Egypt, the situation of Christians in the Arab world and ways to strengthen Christian-Muslim relations.

ECUMENICAL COMMUNITY OFFERS PRAYER FOR MISSING ARCHBISHOPS

Two Christian bishops from Aleppo, Syria, were supported in prayer at a special service in the chapel of the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva on Thursday, 25 April.

The two archbishops reportedly were kidnapped, and a deacon driving them was killed, while they were undertaking a joint humanitarian mission near the Turkish border north of Aleppo on Monday, 22 April.

The two abducted church leaders are the Syriac Orthodox archbishop of Aleppo, Yohanna Ibrahim, and the Greek Orthodox archbishop of Aleppo, Paul Yazigi. The murdered driver has been identified as Fatha’ Allah Kabboud, a deacon in the Syriac Orthodox Church.

The Syrian government and anti-government rebels have accused one another of these crimes, but no group has claimed responsibility.

The prayer service in Geneva was led by Romanian and Russian Orthodox priests and introduced by Yorgo Lemopoulos, deputy general secretary of the World Council of Churches.

The congregation was made up of persons representing a wide variety of nationalities, churches and Geneva-based organizations.

In addition to prayers for the archbishops and their flocks, intercessions were offered for “the liberation of all clergy and people who are held captive in Syria and in other parts of the world.”

A chanted Aramaic refrain used throughout the service, “Moran ethra hama’lain” – “Lord, have mercy upon us”  –  was sung in a version attributed to Archbishop Yohanna Ibrahim.

SUDANESE CHURCHES AN IMPORTANT VOICE IN REBUILDING NATION

In his meeting with the Sudanese minister Alfatih T. Abdallah, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit stressed the important role of Sudanese churches in rebuilding their nation after years of conflict, along with the assurance of their religious freedoms.

Tveit was in Khartoum from 23 to 24 April, visiting church leaders and government officials at the invitation of the Sudan Council of Churches (SCC), headquartered there.

The visit is Tveit’s first to Khartoum since the separation of Sudan and South Sudan in 2011, implementing their peace agreement of 2005.

“Sudanese churches belong genuinely to the country,” said Tveit. “Christians here are citizens of Sudan and therefore have an important role in assisting the rebuilding of their nation.

“We support churches in their struggles and aspirations for peace. We affirm our hope in the government to accomplish its responsibility in protecting churches and Christians and ensuring their security,” he added.

Abdallah, Sudanese minister for guidance and endowment, affirmed this stance. “Sudan needs churches to rebuild the society after a long history of conflict. Their right to worship and conduct their activities is a guarantee in constitution of the country,” he said.

The minister promised further interaction with the churches. “We hope to hold regular meetings with the churches to address the problems and building of trust and dialogue,” said Abdallah.

In his response to the minister, Tveit said, “There will always be religious minorities and majorities in any country. However, it is regardless of these dynamics that all actors of the society, including the churches, should be working together for the rebuilding of peace in Sudan.”

In Khartoum, Tveit was introduced to the issue of limited permits for building of churches, which he raised as a concern to be addressed during his meeting with Abdallah.

Referring to the restructuring of the SCC across the Sudan and South Sudan borders, Tveit said that “This is an extremely important step and a sign towards the immense need of unity among Sudanese churches. The gospel is the ministry of the church, and it is through our witness that the cross will be seen amidst the challenges that come with creation of a new country.”

Tveit met with the Sudanese church leaders at the All Saints Cathedral in Khartoum. He met with, among others, Father Anthonio, chairman of the SCC, Abdalla Ali, acting general secretary of the SCC, and Bishop Ezekiel Kondo from the Episcopal Church in Sudan. On 25 April, Tveit was in Juba, South Sudan meeting with church and government leaders.

 KWAHERINI (BEGA KWA BEGA)  FOUNDERS AS A SIGN OF FARE WELL WORDS

 

                              "Thank you for the gifts and your cooperations"Rev. Dan Futz

                         " We will be praying for you" E.L.C.T-IRD  Gs Nayman Chavalla

World Council of Churches 

WCC general secretary assures Coptic church of support in meeting with Pope Tawadros II

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit met in Egypt on Sunday, 21 April, with Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, discussing post-revolution developments in Egypt, the situation of Christians in the Arab world and ways to strengthen Christian-Muslim relations.

The two leaders met at St. Mark’s Cathedral, Cario, site of attacks two weeks ago following a funeral for Christians killed in a northern Egyptian town only a few days earlier.

In his conversation with Tveit, Tawadros expressed his hopes for the future of his country. “Egypt is inherently moderate. It is natural as we all drink from the same river of Nile,” he said.

Tawadros noted that “amidst difficulties that the Coptic Church in Egypt faced in history, it is faith which has sustained Christians and their strength.” It is due to this strength, he said, that they will continue to work for peaceful co-existence among all religious communities in Egypt.

Coptic Christians constitute around 11 percent of Egypt’s 80-million population. In this context, Tawadros stressed that “Churches have to be a witness in Christ through blood, sweat and tears and work together with their Muslim brothers to address the trend of migration among Christians in Egypt.”

In response Tveit said, “We pray with you for justice and peace in your country. The dignity and welfare of all citizens in post-revolution Egypt is a shared hope of the global church.”

“We hear the experiences of Egyptian churches, and we have a great belief in the leadership of His Holiness Pope Tawadros to further dialogue between Christians and Muslims seeking peace and democracy,” he added.

Tveit called the theme of the upcoming WCC assembly, “God of life, lead us to justice and peace,” significant for the Egyptian churches, where Christians aspire to build a common future with peaceful co-existence among all communities. The assembly will take place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 30 October to 8 November this year.

During the meeting, Tveit introduced WCC's upcoming conference on “Christian Presence in the Middle East” to be held from 21 to 25 May in Beirut, Lebanon, gathering representatives of the Middle Eastern churches and ecumenical organizations.

While in Cairo, Tveit also visited the office of the Bishopric of Public, Ecumenical and Social Services (BLESS), a development wing of the Coptic church, where he learned about its projects in rural communities on issues of poverty, female genital mutilation and HIV and AIDS.

Tveit met with several representatives of the Coptic church and ecumenical organizations, including Bishop Anba Youannes, Dr Salwa Morcos, Metropolitan Bishoy of Damiette and Fr Beshouy Abdelmalek, general secretary of the newly established Egyptian Council of Churches (ECC).

Tveit congratulated the national council, saying that creation of the ECC is a “sign of hope and faith for churches in Egypt working together in unity and being witnesses of Christ in difficult times.”

World Council of Churches 

Egyptian youth offers hope to the world

“The eyes of the world are looking towards Egyptian youth, who are capable of changing the future of their country by offering hope and inspiration to the world. We keep them in our prayers,” said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Tveit shared these views while interacting with young Egyptians of diverse Christian churches whom he met at St Mark's Cathedral in Cairo on Sunday 21 April.

Tveit invited young Egyptians to share their experiences, saying that when churches seek to achieve justice and peace their efforts are incomplete without concrete and visible contributions from young people.

“In post-revolution Egypt churches must avoid imposing a minority approach on communities,” said Amira Edwar Abdel-Malik from the St George Coptic Catholic Church in Giza. “Young people should not become a cluster within their own churches but should go out, integrate and make their contributions to the society felt,” she added.

Another young Egyptian from the Coptic Orthodox Church, Ramy Farouk Mahrous said that a church without youth holds no future. “Seeing Jesus amidst difference is one way to recognize the beauty of diversity, which brings to life the values of ecumenism. This is what we have learned that we can use as young people to apply in our local contexts as Egyptians,” he said.

Tveit introduced the theme of the WCC's upcoming Assembly, “God of life, lead us to justice and peace”, to the young people attending the meeting. He said that “the WCC assembly hopes to welcome the spirit of Egypt through its young people and their meaningful participation at the assembly”. The assembly will take place in Busan, Republic of Korea from 30 October to 8 November this year.

World Council of Churches In Caribbean churches reflect on new directions for diaconal work

“Diakonia must be done through action, social services, advocacy and challenging systems and structures that create injustice and dehumanization of people,” said Rev. Dr Paul Gardner of Jamaica at a seminar in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which included a visit by the president of Haiti.

Diakonia is a Greek term used in the New Testament to describe ministries of service, mission and support. It is the source of the English words “deacon” and “diaconal” and was the theme of the seminar held 15 to 18 April.

“We are able to develop tools through which we can continue to exemplify our Lord's work in various situations, said Gardner, a Jamaican Moravian pastor and member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee. “The Haitian context in the dialogue provides us the perfect background for discussions, reflections and prayers about diakonia.”

The event was organized by the WCC in collaboration with the Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC) and hosted by the Protestant Federation of Haiti (PFH).

The seminar provided a space for dialogue on good practices for the diaconal ministry of the churches. Participants shared updates on contemporary issues related to diakonia and development in the ecumenical movement, particularly in the Caribbean.

Forty people took part in the discussions, including representatives of the WCC member churches in the Caribbean, diaconal projects, diaconal institutions and specialized ministries in Haiti.

The methodology for discussions at the seminar was facilitated by the Regional Ecumenical Advisory and Service Centre (CREAS) from Argentina.

The event was part of a process on diakonia initiated at the WCC’s 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil, 2006, and leading to the WCC’s upcoming 10th Assembly in Busan later this year.

The discussions were a follow-up to consultations on diakonia in Romania in 2009 and the Netherlands, 2010. A document, Theology of Diakonia for the 21st Century, an outcome of the WCC consultation in Sri Lanka, 2012, was also discussed extensively.

In her reflections at the seminar, Elvire Douglas, a Haitian participant from the African Methodist Episcopal Church, said, “Diakonia should be a way of living for each Christian bearing testimony of the gospel in the 21st century.”

“Prophetic diakonia is to be promoted by the churches to enable and reset its objectives and define relevant strategies to teach, empower and advocate for justice and peace for the healing of the world,” she added.
Translating diakonia into social action

Haiti’s president, Michel Joseph Martelly, visited the group on Wednesday, 17 April, thanking PFH specifically for the invitation and offering greetings to the participants.

“My pledge to you is to tell the world to work with the government of Haiti for the improvement of the living conditions of people,” said Martelly. He expressed appreciation for the “accompaniment of the churches to build the kingdom of God, bringing peace, justice, reconciliation, democratic values among the people through action and prayers.”

“What would Haiti be today without pastors and priests?” he added.

Rev. Dr Lesley Anderson, a member of the CCC presidium, affirmed that this dialogue has an “impact on the direction in which the church leaders must work to enable people to have a new vision of hope in a world of despair.”

“From biblical and theological perspectives, we have examined the socio-political and economic realities of our region. We feel inspired by our togetherness to seek solutions to the many and varied challenges with which we are confronted,” he added.

The Rev. Dr Carlos Emilio Ham, the WCC’s programme executive for diakonia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, said that the seminar represented an opportunity of “regional empowerment through mutual sharing.”

Currently, the WCC is working toward strengthening the diaconal capacity of member churches and networks that “will further empower them to transform structures of injustice and violence exacerbating suffering of people and communities,” said Ham.

WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES General Secretary and Egypt's Grand Mufti promote dialogue for peaceful relations

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit met with Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim in Cairo. In their meeting the religious leaders engaged in in-depth dialogue to promote peaceful relations among diverse communities and values for equal citizenship.

They met at the office of Dar Al-Itfa Al-Misriyya on Monday 22 April.

Speaking with the WCC general secretary, Abdel-Karim pointed out the common roots and experiences of both Muslims and Christians living together for centuries in Egypt, which he said should be the basis of a constructive engagement for promoting peaceful relations.

“We are a family, and our personal relations do not merely reflect in our faith identities in Egypt. We have been neighbours for centuries, interlocked in close proximity as religious communities,” said the Grand Mufti, who is also a professor in Islamic jurisprudence.

He went on to say that “alliances between Christians and Muslims are not only possible but already exist on the ground among ordinary people in their everyday lives. The values of honesty, trust and respect are shared among people of both Christian and Muslim faiths.”

Tveit endorsed the importance of a shared vision for peaceful relations, saying, “We reflect together with our Muslim partners on what it means to be a Christian or Muslim in the world today while faced with divisions which are perceived as tensions between us.” This is why cooperation with other faiths is an intrinsic part of our aspirations for Christian unity, he added.

“We share a vision of peaceful relations among communities and hope for a common future, where living together as equal citizens in a democracy is possible. Therefore I see the role of religious leaders as an extremely important one to translate this vision into reality,” said Tveit.

In his response, Abdel-Karim said, “We share your vision for peace on earth. And we strongly affirm the equality of all Egyptian citizens regardless of their religious associations. In our work we have taken concrete actions through different projects to bring diverse groups together and eliminate the eminent tensions between the communities.

“The powers sowing seeds of divisions should be curtailed,” added the Grand Mufti.

Tveit was in Egypt for a two-day visit to the WCC member churches, following recent attacks against St Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo. He met with Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Rev. Dr Safwat Al-Bayyadi, president of the Protestant Churches of Egypt, Bishop Munir Anise, Anglican bishop in Egypt, and other church leaders.

Tveit also attended an event organized by the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services, where he addressed a diverse audience representing churches, interfaith networks and Muslim organizations in Cairo. He interacted with the local media, speaking on issues related to religious freedom, inter-religious dialogue and cooperation between Christian and Muslim networks.