Bulletin
Issue No. 18
9 September 2002
Providing
church, ecumenical and inter-faith information, resources,
and analysis on issues of current global concern
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Focus
of this issue: September 11: One year after
 1.
Introduction
This issue of Behind
the News focuses
on the one-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks
in New York and Washington. Governments, media, civil society
and faith communities around the world have organized events
commemorating and interpreting the tragedy, the immediate
response, and the ongoing global consequences. Rather than
list all the events and statements, this issue attempts
to point to key sources for information on church-related
actions, responses by the global church and other faith
communities, updates on the humanitarian situation, analysis,
and worship and study material.
Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, general
secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), began
his report to the WCC Central Committee with some of his
reflections on the consequences of September 11. Noting
the priority "security" now holds in government
policies above national and international standards of human
rights and international law, he places the response of
the ecumenical community in light of globalization and the
Decade to Overcome Violence. He concluded his reflections
on the lessons from September 11 with a challenge that will
rest with us for a long time:
Any alternative sought by
the ecumenical movement which is intended to respond both
to the challenge of globalization and to the "culture
of violence" must seek to transcend the logic of
power as domination. It must take seriously the condition
of mutual vulnerability and deepen the insight that being
vulnerable is not identical with being a victim. Vulnerability
is not necessarily and inevitably a sign of weakness;
rather it points to the basic fact that all human community
is sustained and supported by relationships of mutuality
in and with the wider earth community, acknowledging the
needs of self and other as being inseparably interwoven.
The ecumenical response to globalization therefore must
resist the temptation to adopt the perspective of the
potential or actual victim seeking to protect himself/herself
in a situation of vulnerability. Rather, it should nurture
and extend relationships of mutuality and reciprocity
which increase the sense of human security. There is no
way to peace with justice through protective security,
but only by turning the basic human fact of dependency
and vulnerability into a source of energy for strengthening
sustainable relationships within and between communities
and with all of creation. This is at the core of the Decade
to Overcome Violence as well as the struggles for justice
in a globalized world. … The church is meant to
live a new form and quality of relationship, a new community
in Christ which already constitutes the alternative to
the distorted relationships under the impact of globalization
and violence. But the churches as we know them are largely
conforming to the norms and patterns of social relationships
in their respective societies. Reflecting together about
what it means to be church therefore constitutes a challenge
to all of us."
The full report of the WCC General
Secretary to the Central Committee can be found at: http://www2.wcc-coe.org/ccdocuments.nsf
2.
Statements and actions of the global church and ecumenical
family
Global
Church bodies
a) The World Council of Churches'
Central Committee adopted a minute on "the
tragedy of September 11th, 2001, and the implications of
the US government's response"
which acknowledges that the "wounds are still deep and that
the resulting and pervasive sense of vulnerability remains
in the people of the United States and people elsewhere."
The statement goes on to highlight disturbing global trends,
accentuated by the US-led "war on terrorism" on international
peace and security, human rights and international law,
US unilateralism and the global rise of militarism and new
military doctrines. The statement concludes by emphasizing
that the churches have a critical moral and ethical role
to play in speaking truth to power. (See section VI of "Second
Report of the Public Issues Committee" at http://www2.wcc-coe.org/ccdocuments.nsf
)
b) The WCC Central Committee
also adopted a "statement
on the threats of military action against Iraq"
which calls on the US government "to desist from any military
attacks against Iraq and any further development of plans
for military actions against that country." (See section
V of "Second Report of the Public Issues Committee"
at http://www2.wcc-coe.org/ccdocuments.nsf
)
c) WCC, in consultation with
the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
and Church World Service, convened a meeting in Washington,
DC from 5-6 August on the theme "Beyond
11 September: Implications for US Churches and the World."
The 40+ participants in the meeting, including 10 from countries
other than the United States, examined ethical and theological
perspectives on the current situation, global security/national
security, human rights, interfaith relations and ecumenical
relations. Participants in the meeting agreed on a short
message to the WCC Central Committee and developed a "Guide
for Reflection" to be used in local congregations in the
USA. The report of the meeting, including the message and
the Guide for Reflection can be found at http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/index-e.html
.
US Churches
d) The National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
has developed a rich array of information about the anniversary
of 11 September, including a "Litany of 'Remembrance, Penitence,
Hope;' a pastoral response to terrorism, including resources
for congregational use; pointers on congregations planning
interfaith open houses, and a comprehensive index of US
church statements and reflections on the events of 11 September.
(http://www.ncccusa.org/)
e) Almost all US churches
have developed resources for reflection on the events of
11 September. See individual websites, or the NCCCUSA website
above or the Decade to Overcome Violence pages at http://www.wcc-usa.org
for a compilation of available resources.
f) The United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops
has developed an impressive set of resources for commemorating
11 September, including a Nine day programme for "Looking
Back and Moving Forward," worship resources, ideas for activities
for all ages, clip art, etc. See http://www.nccbuscc.org/publishing/9-11/index.htm.
g) US,
British and Canadian church leaders,
meeting during WCC's Central Committee, issued an urgent
call to US leaders to pull back from their unilateral movement
toward pre-emptive military action against Iraq and to seek
the appropriate counsel of the Congress, the United Nations
and US allies. http://www.ncccusa.org/news/02news82.html
Other church
bodies
h) The Governing Board of the
Canadian Council of
Churches devoted
a full day of its spring meeting held on May 22-24, 2002,
to learning, reflecting and sharing on the times in which
we live, times marked particularly by the agonies of the
Middle East and by the seemingly endless "war on terror"
launched by the United States following the disasters of
September 11 in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Resources
and texts from this day of reflection - including a Bible
study, "Naming the historical and geo-political context",
theological reflection, and reflections by members of the
Governing Board - are available at http://www.ccc-cce.ca/english/fw/index.html?grace(sept02).htm~main.
i) The National
Council of Churches in the Philippines,
together with the World Council of Churches and the Christian
Conference of Asia will convene an international ecumenical
conference on "Terrorism in a Globalized World: Prospects
for Peace and Security in Asia" from 23-26 September in
Manila, Philippines. The conference will look at the US
war on terror, analyze geopolitical trends in Asia in the
wake of the US war on terrorism, stimulate theological reflection,
promote international advocacy, draw up alternatives to
violence, and generate international awareness on and concerted
response to escalating violence and the human rights situation
in the Philippines. For more information, contact confab@philonline.com
or cpk@philonline.com
j) In May, the National
Christian Council of Japan
took out a full-page advertisement in the country's largest
newspaper with the title "Stop Preparing for War!" The advertisement
raises serious questions about Japanese efforts to increase
its military activities as a result of the US-led war on
terrorism and about legislation now being considered in
the Japanese Diet. The cost of the advertisement –
US$200,000 – was raised by individual Japanese Christians.
For further information, see http://www.peace2001.org
.
3.
Inter-religious
actions and statements and responses from other faith communities
a) The Shalom Center for Jewish/Multireligious
Renewal has developed an "Eleven Days in September"
project. The basic proposal is that American religious communities
take time in September — either literally eleven days,
or some focused time in which "Eleven Days" is
symbolic — to discuss the meaning of the terror attacks
of 9/11/01, their aftermath, and the implications for the
future of America in world society. Worship and reflection
pieces are available at http://www.shalomctr.org/html/peace95.html
b) The Pluralism Project of
Harvard University has an extensive list of US multireligious
commemorations, resources and statements on the first anniversary
of September 11 at http://www.pluralism.org/resources/links/911_anniversary.php
c) The Council on American-Islamic
Relations has released American
Muslims: One Year After 9-11
which includes sections on the response of US Muslims in
condemning attacks and supporting law enforcement as well
as on Muslim efforts to join in the healing. The 60-page
publication considers the hate crimes against the Muslim
community, but also details Muslim efforts to reach out
to fellow Americans and efforts by faith communities to
reach out to their Muslim neighbors. http://www.cair-net.org.
d) A special issue of The
American Muslim in
memory of the victims of the 11 September attacks is now
online. The issues includes articles by Muslims and non-Muslims
around the theme "Where is the Muslim response?" The editors
of the special issue note that there has been a consistent
and unified response that has received little attention
in the mainstream media. http://www.theamericanmuslim.org.
e) Representatives of US faith-based
organizations released a joint "Religious
Declaration on Liberty, Security and Faith"
which states that "these are the times when fundamental
rights are most likely to be cast aside." The statement
looks at the right to due process, the right to be free
from unreasonable search and seizure, the right to privacy,
the right to free speech and assembly and the right to religious
liberty. The message as signed by a number of faith-based
organizations, including the National Council of the Churches
of Christ in the USA, Church Women United, and the Council
on American Islamic Relations. Available at http://www.ncccusa.org/news/02news58.html
f) The Presbyterian
Church (USA) has
organized an "Interfaith Listening Pilot Project" in which
10 teams of two persons each will travel to the United States
to share their experiences of responding to the challenges
of Christian-Muslim relationships. Each team will include
a Christian and a Muslim and will travel around the United
States from 10-23 September. Teams from Kenya, Egypt, Lebanon,
Italy, India, Ethiopia, Jordan, Niger, Philippines, and
Indonesia will be organized. http://www.pcusa.org/peacemaking/intl/IntFaith.pdf
4.
Humanitarian Relief and related issues
a) A year has passed since the
September 11 attacks on New York and Washington - an attack
that sparked the "war on Afghanistan". The humanitarian
crisis, already severe after more than two decades of civil
war and a three-year long drought, further deteriorated,
as the US led an attack on the Afghan government of the
day, posing a big challenge to humanitarian aid agencies.
Action by Churches
Together (ACT) International
members working in Pakistan/Afghanistan met the challenge
by providing food to the people in Afghanistan in an effort
to avert a severe hunger crisis. One year later, in Afghanistan,
the humanitarian situation has improved for many people.
Aid agencies now again have access to the country, but the
security situation still causes many difficulties.
One of the many consequences
of September 11 was that the world focussed its attention
for a few months on Afghanistan. Yet globally, other conflicts
also led to humanitarian emergencies. One such conflict,
between Israelis and Palestinians, has been closely linked
to the so-called "war on terrorism". And now,
the threat of a war on Iraq has given rise to fears that
an even bigger humanitarian crisis will follow in the Middle
East. For more information on ACT programs, go to http://act-intl.org/act_news_title.html
b) In "September 11: One
year on" Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org)
focuses on the Opportunism
in the Face of Tragedy - Repression in the name of anti-terrorism.
During the months following September 11, the world was
focused on efforts to bring those responsible for the attacks
to justice, and to prevent additional terrorist attacks.
However, many countries around the globe cynically attempted
to take advantage of this struggle to intensify their own
crackdowns on political opponents, separatists and religious
groups, or to suggest they should be immune from criticism
of their human rights practices. In other places, leaders
exploited the situation to advance unnecessarily restrictive
or punitive policies against refugees, asylum-seekers, and
other foreigners. Human Rights Watch has collected and compiled
a number such opportunistic statements and actions. For
the full report, click on: http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/september11/opportunismwatch.htm
Also by
Human Rights Watch, the organization highlights
the threat
to women's security
and their rights in a briefing paper. http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/asia/afghanistan/warlords3.htm
c) In an article in
The Independent, on "Return to Afghanistan:
Americans begin to suffer grim and
bloody
backlash", Robert Fisk describes how Western
NGOs prefer to keep their distance from the US military,
even when the military tries to assist in humanitarian
work. As a British NGO worker put it in Kandahar:
"When there is a backlash against the Americans,
we want a clear definition between us and them."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia_china/story.jsp?story=324164 |
d) "United
Methodists find destruction, hope in Afghanistan":
When the Rev. Myrna Bethke traveled to Afghanistan in June,
she hoped to gain a better understanding of the circumstances
that led to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which claimed
the life of her youngest brother. What she found was a capital
city, Kabul, "in such ruin and chaos and rubble"
that it seemed to belong to ancient times, not the modern
world. The devastation wrought by more than 20 years of
war and several years of drought showed her, she said, how
a group like the Taliban could gain control. Bethke, pastor
of First United Methodist Church in Freehold, N.J., was
part of a June 16-29 interfaith delegation to Afghanistan,
sponsored by Global Exchange, an international human rights
organization. United Methodist Bishop C. Joseph Sprague
of Chicago also was a delegation member. Full story at:
http://umns.umc.org/02/july/291.htm
e) An in-depth article from
the UN's World Food
Program relates how
tough Taliban laws forbidding female employment forced Afghan
teacher Nadira Qalandri to give secret lessons in her home.
WFP spokesperson Jennifer Abrahamson tells how WFP food
aid put Nadira and thousands of other women teachers in
Kabul back in the classroom. http://www.wfp.org/index.asp?section=2
f) The Women's
Commission for Refugee Women and Children
has detailed information, reports and updates on refugee
women and children in Afghanistan. The site includes information
on the commission's fund to support Afghan women's groups
in Afghanistan and Pakistan, profiles of courage, maps of
recent movements of refugees and internally displaced persons
as well as updates and reports on the plight of refugees
in the region. http://www.womenscommission.org/afghan.html
g) A feature article from the
newsroom of the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees,
"God Bless Our Homeland", tells the story of an
Afghan family's repatriation from Iran back to their homeland.
"… an extended family of 25 Afghans waits to
board the bus to the border crossing with Afghanistan at
Dogharoun. They are all Shia Muslims whom Taliban forces
threatened to kill if they stayed in Kabul. "That's
why we decided to take refuge in Iran," says Ahmad,
who believes Afghanistan is now secure enough for them to
go back. "Finally there is peace in our homeland. And
Afghanistan needs us to rebuild it." For the full story,
click on:
http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/+xwwBmZeFLLpwwww5wwwwwwwhFqnN0bItFqnDni5zFqnN0bIAFqnN0bIDzmxwwwwwww1FqnN0bI/opendoc.htm
For other stories focussing
on humanitarian issues, click on http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home?page=news
5.
Articles, analysis and resources for information and action
a) One year after September
11, BBC Correspondent, Orla Guerin, analyzes the cycle of
violence in the Middle East which has continued unabated
since the attacks on the US. For the full report, "US
distracted from Middle-East despair", go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/world/2002/september_11_one_year_on/2178576.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2230924.stm
b) "The year in pictures
from Ground Zero, through Afghanistan and Reactions"
will take you to a photo essay on the BBC's web site, visually
documenting events of the last 12 months by some of the
world's best photographers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/world/02/september_11/in_pictures/html/index.stm
c) We
will be known by the company we keep: Lessons from US-Latin
America Policy for the post-September 11th World
by Hugh Byrne has been published by the Latin America Working
Group. Based on Latin American experiences over the past
fifty years, the report draws lessons for US policy in the
present period, noting, for example, that political alliances
have a long-term impact and domestic dissent is not the
enemy. The guide further suggests: 'don't turn a blind eye
to human rights violations' and 'keep close tabs on the
CIA.' For more information, see http://www.lawg.org.
d) "The September 11 Attacks
and their Consequences: Southern Views" is a report
prepared by PANOS Paris that looks at press coverage in
the Arab World and Central Africa following September 11
and its aftermath. Available in French and English. http://www.panosparis.org./uk/actu.html
e) Christmas
People in a Terrorist Crisis
by the Women's Division of the United Methodist Church includes
a series of Bible studies in the effort to increase Gospel
understandings of terrorist crisis, definitions of terrorism
through stations of the cross and mission and dialogue.
Developed for a Lenten study, the resource provides questions
and biblical reflections for congregational use. http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/terrorism/
f) Justice
not Vengeance is
a tool kit prepared by Madre, an international women's human
rights organization, in response to the September 11 attacks
and the US war against Afghanistan with a particular focus
on women's perspectives and on the situation inside Afghanistan.
Available from: http://www.madre.org.
g) Stephen G. Cary in "A
Response to September Eleventh"
explains from a Quaker, pacifist perspective why he opposes
the US response to the 11 September attacks and suggests
other policy lines to be followed. He states "I think we
should be troubled when we glance at our current budget:
$340 billion for the power to kill; $6 billion for the power
to lift the quality of life of the poor and dispossessed."
Available at: http://www.friendsjournal.org/contents/2002/03march/feature2.html.
h) "Sightings,"
a regular publication of the University of Chicago Divinity
School, offers short reflections on current issues. A recent
issue asks the question about the reasons for the lack of
media coverage of religious witness against war in Iraq.
See: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/sightings/archive_2002/0819.html
i) The Lawyers' Committee for
Human Rights has released a new report A
Year of Loss: Reexamining Civil Liberties since September
11 which looks at
the erosion of civil liberties in the US since the attacks.
"In addition to the loss of life and a sense of invulnerability,"
the report says, "the United States has lost something essential
and defining: some of the cherished principles on which
the country is founded have been eroded or disregarded."
See: http://www.lchr.org/aftersept/loss/report.htm.
j) In the French
press:
The day after September 11,
Jean-Marie Colombani, director of the French newspaper Le
Monde wrote an editorial, "Nous sommes tous Américains"
(We all are Americans), which demonstrated an unconditional
solidarity with the American people and its government.
Colombani's article reflected the spontaneous reaction of
the overwhelming majority of ordinary French citizens in
front of the tragic events that took the life of thousands
of innocent American people. http://www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3222--221600-,00.html
One year later, one can see
from many articles and editorials in the French press the
spontaneous solidarity has turned into a firm opposition
to any American unilateralist action in the Middle-East.
It is no more question of terrorism, Al Qaeda and Ben Laden
but of American Foreign policy and Bush's determination
to conduct a war against Saddam Hussein's regime.
In "L'Amérique et les demeurés",
the former director of Le Monde, André Fontaine, expresses
growing concerns about the condescending attitude of the
US government. He urges Europeans - if they want to have
a chance to be heard - to speak with one voice, relying
if necessary on an economic, military and even intellectual
strong basis.
http://www.lemonde.fr/imprimer_article_ref/0,9750,3209--288008,00.html
In "L'inquiétant Monsieur
Bush" (the worrying Mr. Bush), Philippe Coste, US-based
correspondent for the French weekly magazine "L'Express",
describes how in economy, diplomacy and war against terrorism,
the world's destiny, more than ever, depends on the choices
of the American president. When rumors of war sound like
propaganda, and the most severe critics come from American
right's elite, when Bush easily gives up intangible principles
of the American policy in favor of a caricatural political
pragmatism, can we still trust him? Coste asks.
http://www.lexpress.fr/Express/Info/Monde/Dossier/bush/dossier.asp?ida=350407
In "Les zones d'ombre de
la démocratie américaine", Sophie Body-Gendrot, a political
scientist and specialist of American Studies, Editor in
chief of Revue française
d'etudes américaines,
explains how the "loss of innocence" appears to
be a convenient myth that avoids self-criticism, particularly
regarding the US responsibility in the September 11 catastrophe
and its partiality in the Middle-East conflicts. Any critique
emanating from a segment of the American society has to
face censorship and accusations of anti-patriotism by the
majority. http://www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3232--287746-,00.html
In "Objectif Bagdad",
Alain Gresh, from the monthly "Le Monde Diplomatique",
shows through various facts and arguments advanced by the
US government that a war in Iraq is quasi certain. The question
is no more if this military operation should happen but
how it will happen. In his editorial, Gresh reviews the
inconsistency of the American Foreign policy towards Iraq.
During the Iraq-Iran war some 60 US military officers were
advising Iraqi military staff and were fully aware that
chemical weapons had been used. In the beginning of his
presidency in 1989, George Bush in several declarations
defended the Iraqi regime as one key partner of the US in
the Middle-East region. Eleven years after the Gulf war,
George W. Bush is on the verge of starting a new episode
of the war against terrorism, hoping to finish what has
not been completed by his father.
http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2002/09/GRESH/
k) The World
Association of Christian Communication
has compiled a list of articles and links on "September
11th, One Year On" at http://www.wacc.org.uk/links/9-11.html
Articles include:
"Writing in the Dust",
an extract from the book of the same name by Rowan Williams,
Archbishop of Wales. http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/u/d/News/alert_141.html
An interview with Noam Chomsky
by Dimitriadis Epaminondas in July 2002
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=36&ItemID=2068
"A World Out of Touch With
Itself: Where the Violence Comes From"
by Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor,
TIKKUN Magazine (on the Shalom Centre
site). http://www.shalomctr.org/html/peace44.html
l) "A
world at odds, conscience in a time of terror"
is a new study guide from Sojourners focused on: the U.S.
conflict with Iraq; the global economy; fundamentalism and
religious
diversity; and the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. The fifth unit is a special section on remembering
Sept. 11, which includes resources for worship on the first
anniversary of the attacks. http://www.sojo.net/terror/index.cfm/
m) In an opinion piece in the
New York Times, "Losing
Our Best Allies in the War on Terror",
Jeffrey C. Goldfarb states from his experience leading an
international seminar on democratic culture that "anti-Americanism
is not just a hysterical judgment popular on
the political fringe. It has
become a principle of some committed democrats and this,
unfortunately, makes a great deal of sense when it comes
to the war on terrorism." In the eyes of his foreign
students, "the defense of the American way of life
and our democracy seems to be predicated upon a lack of
concern for the democratic rights of people in less advantaged
countries." http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/20/opinion/20GOLD.html[free
registration required]
n) A number of church-based
peace fellowships in the US have developed resources, worship
material, inter-religious reflections and more for the one
year anniversary of September 11, as well as peacemaking
in general. These include:
The Baptist Peace Fellowship
http://www.bpfna.org/
The Lutheran Peace Fellowship:
http://www.lutheranpeace.org/
The Orthodox Peace Fellowship:
http://www.incommunion.org/
The Peace and Justice Support
Network of the Mennonite Church USA: http://peace.mennolink.org/
The Mennonite Central Committee:
http://www.mcc.org/peace/commemoration/index.html
Also see "Pray, Act, Unite!"
initiative of the Christian Churches (Disciples of Christ)
in the USA: http://www.respondtothecall.org/Worship%20Resources.htm
The Domestic Disaster Response
ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
has compiled worship resource links (http://www.elca.org/dcs/disaster/sept11index.html)
from a number of ELCA divisions and from the Lutheran Disaster
Response of New York.
o) The US-based Faith and Values.com,
providing media resources from Christian and Jewish traditions,
provides a section of news, information on commemoration
events, resources on Islam and more at http://www.faithandvalues.com/channels/9-11.asp
p)The Mennonite Church USA are
asking people in congregations to sign a letter opposing
a possible US-led war in Iraq. For more information, see
the Peace and Justice Support network at http://peace.MennoLink.org
or http://MennoniteUSA.org
under "peace resources." At Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship,
Connie Benson focused her homily on the prophet Micah (1
Kings 22) who alone opposed Israel's king Ahab's efforts
to go to war against Ramoth-gilead, even though 400 false
prophets blessed the war effort and predicted victory. See:
http://www.mennohouse.com/worship.
q) The Nonviolent Peaceforce
is calling people to donate wages from 11 September to help
create the Nonviolent Peaceforce as an alternative to military
action. For more information, see: http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org
.
r) Churches Together in Britain
and Ireland have links to worship material for September
11 services and a special anniversary prayer from the Church
of Scotland: http://www.ctbi.org.uk/
Behind the news: Visions
for Peace – Voices of Faith
is a joint initiative of:
World Council of Churches
(WCC) - a fellowship
of 342 churches, in more than 100 countries in all continents
from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic
Church is not a member church but works cooperatively with
the WCC. The highest governing body is the Assembly, which
meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
- a global action network of 62 churches and church-related
organizations who have pledged themselves to change unjust
policies and practices related to global trade and HIV/AIDS,
and to take up as a special concern work on peace and conflict
resolution by forging strategic partnership. Alliance participants
come from every corner of the globe and varied traditions
within the ecumenical family – Roman Catholic, Protestant,
Orthodox, and Anglican, as well as church-related organizations
who themselves represent and serve many Christian faith
traditions. Alliance participants are committed to speak
out with one voice against injustice and structures which
deprive human beings of dignity, and for alternative visions
based on the Gospel.
Action by Churches Together
(ACT) - an international
alliance of churches and relief agencies assisting thousands
of people recovering from emergencies in more than 50 countries
worldwide.
Behind the News
focuses on alternative voices and perspectives behind stories
in (or conspicuously absent from) the international news.
Visions for Peace highlights
statements, ideas and actions that aim to build peace and
reconciliation in situations of conflict and violence.
Voices of Faith
shares information particularly from churches, ecumenical
organizations, and other faiths, emphasizing different regional
perspectives.
This bulletin/website is intended
to provide an ecumenical space for visions for peace and
voices of faith; these materials do not necessarily reflect
official policy of WCC, ACT, or EAA.
Please circulate the Bulletin
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Behind the news: Visions
for peace – Voices of faith
Web: http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews
Behind the news: Visions
for Peace - Voices of Faith
is a joint initiative of:
World Council of Churches
(WCC) - a fellowship
of 342 churches, in more than 100 countries in all continents
from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic
Church is not a member church but works cooperatively with
the WCC. The highest governing body is the Assembly, which
meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
- a global action network of 62 churches and church-related
organizations who have pledged themselves to change unjust
policies and practices related to global trade and HIV/AIDS,
and to take up as a special concern work on peace and conflict
resolution by forging strategic partnership. Alliance participants
come from every corner of the globe and varied traditions
within the ecumenical family - Roman Catholic, Protestant,
Orthodox, and Anglican, as well as church-related organizations
who themselves represent and serve many Christian faith
traditions. Alliance participants are committed to speak
out with one voice against injustice and structures which
deprive human beings of dignity, and for alternative visions
based on the Gospel.
Action by Churches Together
(ACT) - an international
alliance of churches and relief agencies assisting thousands
of people recovering from emergencies in more than 50 countries
worldwide.
This bulletin/website is
intended to provide an ecumenical space for visions for
peace and voices of faith; these materials do not necessarily
reflect official policy of WCC, ACT, or EAA.
Please circulate the Bulletin
to friends, colleagues and people who are looking for alternative
perspectives on the current situation.
To subscribe to the bulletin,
contact WCC
Contact
To share resources, reflections
or information, contact WCC
Contact
Behind the news: Visions
for peace - Voices of faith
Web: http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews
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