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Chiang Mai Communique
General secretaries and representatives of National Councils of Churches and National Christian Councils in Asia, staff of CCA and WCC, and resource persons attended a meeting held from 20-23 September in Chiang Mai, Thailand. (Photo:Philip Mathew) NCC general secretaries issued the following communique As General Secretaries of National Councils of Churches and National Christian Councils from 18 Asian countries, we have come together in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for fellowship and reflection, guided by the theme of the Christian Conference of Asia�s 2005 Assembly: �Building Communities of Peace for All�. We are grateful for the support and work of CCA in bringing us together, and the input of members of staff from CCA and WCC. As an important part of our meeting we pledged our support for the upcoming CCA Assembly. As we met we were conscious of the changing dynamics of the world that affect our region, and of the relationships we have with those of other cultures and other places. These changes are described by words like North-South, globalisation, developing world, terrorism, consumerism, individualism, world economic order, empire, and so on. Collectively these terms describe a fundamental change that threatens our communities and undermines the progress of the human condition about which we have been so hopeful. We are now witnessing widening gaps between societies, and within societies. Individuals and communities are marginalised, and success seems to be measured by the ability to squander resources in unsustainable ways. Militarism is rising, and age old conflicts are re-emerging without the checks and balances that keep the balance between competing groups. We live in a violent world. Tragically, peace remains a quality of life and of being that is more often expressed by its absence than its presence. The desire for peace with justice continues to be evoked through the deep aching of the human heart. Human hope for peace is a rich theme taken up by the religions of the world, many of which are Asian in origin. All religions, in company with all humanity, are concerned about the lack of the peace with justice for which we long. We recognised that we as Christians also share in the trends of this violent world, and need to repent of our part in creating division and separation. Despite our high ecumenical ideals, we confessed that a growing ecumenical amnesia and lethargy means that we are not living up to the demands and challenges of our time. We recognised that the strength of ecumenism is in its involvement with the �grassroots�, a strength that the institutions we create must serve. Christians continue to believe that peace with justice is possible despite the continuing restlessness, violence, and inequality of the world. This belief is based on the witness and work of Jesus Christ. A key name ascribed to him, drawn from the prophet Isaiah, is Prince of Peace. Jesus gives us peace as a gift: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. John 14:27 NRSV We believe that God is now calling us to a renewed emphasis on this gift of peace, which is also our task, and is echoed in the longing of our hearts. It offers us an opportunity to renew the ecumenical spirit. This is more than idealism. It is evident that the illogic of violence fractures both creation and humanity. It drives humans apart into loneliness and dissatisfaction, while the deliberative and thoughtful path of peace brings them together and creates sustainable communities of hope. Through the many catastrophic wars of the 20th century humanity started to understand in practical ways many things about the self-defeating nature of violence and its destructive outcomes. Around the world, locally, nationally, and internationally, people worked hard to create peaceful alternatives because otherwise they feared the destruction of our race. That work for peaceful activity also came to embrace the integrity of creation. In many places Christians were at the forefront of these efforts, and now it is up to the generations who follow those pioneers to make sure these advances are not lost. We affirm that we still believe in peace with justice and its possibilities � spiritually, theologically, socially, and practically. We believe that peace with justice is possible and we pledge ourselves to its fulfilment. In the hope that God has given us, we make the following calls to the Christian communities of our region: 1. Reclaim our prophetic heritage and calling as a response to the emerging issues of our time, naming and resisting evils that perpetuate and encourage violence, poverty, and marginalisation. 2. Affirm local Christian communities as communities of justice and peace and that Christians be equipped as peacemakers in their societies. In the process of peace building we encourage the use of the resources of the Decade to Overcome Violence and its special Asian focus in 2005. 3. Identify structures that legitimate and perpetuate violence and injustice within our Churches, such as discrimination based on age, caste, disability, ethnicity, gender, and economic disadvantage, or abuse based on inequality of power sharing, and that we work to transform all such structures among us. 4. Recommit ourselves and our Christian communities to peace making in active co-operation with peoples other faiths and of no faith. posted by Anonymous on Friday, September 24, 2004 Peace messages to be made available soonHONG KONG � Video messages of peace and justice from a group of 13 church leaders and peacemakers from around the world will be webcast and broadcast on Monday 20 September at 12 PM Geneva time. Coming ahead of the International Day of Prayer for Peace called by the World Council of Churches to be observed on 21 September, the �inspiring two-minute video messages� will affirm churches� and faith communities� work in the areas of peace and justice. According to a WCC news release, the video messages will be available on www.overcomingviolence.org/peace2004 Liturgical resources for the International Day of Prayer, which comes within the framework of the WCC�s Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV), are also available on the same website. The United States is DOV�s focus this year. �The video messages�recognize and encourage the struggle of US churches to witness to peace and justice, both domestically and internationally,� the WCC news release noted. CCA General Secretary Dr Ahn Jae Woong is one of the 13 church leaders and peacemakers, whose message can be accessed on the website. According to the news release, the WCC�s initiative is related to the International Day of Peace declared by the United Nations General Assembly. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, German Bishop Wolfgang Huber, Peace activist Hanan Mikhail Ashwari and WCC Central Committee Moderator Aram I are among the leaders who will participate in the International Day of Prayer for Peace through the video messages. posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 19, 2004 Women from the South Call for Alternative GlobalizationVisit the Faith, Mission and Unity (FMU) page for a story and some pictures from a recent consultation of women from the South. The women met as Women's Voices on Alternative Globalization Addressing People and Earth (WV - AGAPE). Click the FMU tab on the left bar. posted by hope on Saturday, September 18, 2004 A Statementfrom a youth consultation on living our faiths in community Young people as peace makers and culture bearers We, 48 participants from Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and America met in Henry Martyn Institute at Aman Shanti Nilayam-Shivrampally Hyderabad, India from 5-11 September 2004 to attend a consultation on 'Living our Faiths in Community' organized by APAY, CCA and EED. We came from regions and countries ravished by wars, conflict and violence, and representing different faiths, belief systems and ethnicities. During the five days, we explored, shared and deliberated on how our different religions can be used to promote peace, harmony and unity in our communities, region and the world. We acknowledge the presence of a unifying power of compassion and love in our lives and our work which brings us together to work for justice, peace and harmony. Our rootedness in this belief is what motivated us to gather here as a multi-faith, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural community of young people to study the root causes of conflict and seek positive alternatives to bring about transformation. We also acknowledge that each of us has a significant role to play in co-creating a new and just world. In the year 2000, the United Nations declared the following decade as the 'Decade of a Culture of Peace.' In reality the world, especially Asia, remains filled with conflict, violence and division. In the midst of these realities, we recognize that all religions promote unity, harmony, love, peace and tolerance and could play a significant role in helping realize the UN's 'Decade of a Culture of Peace'. As we explored Asian realities through personal experiences and case studies from our respective regions, we identified five major issues that contribute to conflict and seriously impact the lives of all people in the region, especially the marginalized. These five issues are: 1 Globalization We have seen the negative impact of those aspects of globalization that create unjust economic structures and relationships, preventing the vast majority of the people from enjoying the benefits of their own resources while filling the pockets of a powerful few. 2 Identity The rise of chauvinism and dominance by majority groups in many countries has marginalized minority groups giving rise to power struggles. The response to these struggles is often more severe repression, further alienating the minority groups. Thus violence spirals further out of control.. 3 Religion Religion is often misunderstood, misinterpreted and misused by extremist groups, resulting in hostilities, mistrust, hatred and violence. Even though all religions teach tolerance and love, these misrepresentations dehumanize societies and breakdown conditions for peaceful co-existence. 4 Militarization We observed that militarization does not provide people with a true sense of security and thus alternative forms of security, from local to the regional level, need to be explored and modeled by the interfaith community. 5 Patriarchy Our social systems are deeply rooted in patriarchy and many of our religious institutions are sources that reinforce this injustice. This contributes to the marginalization of women, both in religious communities and in the society at large. Our vision as youth is that religious communities of all faiths will come together in unity and cooperation to creatively address these identified issues. We as youth in Asia believe that it is our responsibility to work toward this vision by building a network that is multi-faith, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and regional in nature. From experiences shared through our case studies and discussions, we became more aware of our collective strength and potential in working for justice and peace at the local, national and regional levels. To more effectively utilize these strengths we need to build an interfaith regional network that can educate, organize and mobilize youth as agents of change. Through our lives and work, we will strive to be examples of an alternative society in which the five identified crucial issues are challenged and transformed. This can be achieved by: 1.Conducting local, national and regional workshops/consultations that would provide skills and knowledge needed to address these issues. 2.Building national and regional inter-faith networks that can cooperatively respond to violence of all kinds and forms in the region. 3.Organizing public campaigns to pressurize governments, religious institutions/bodies and the civil society through creatively using all forms of media. 4.Creating spaces and platforms for interfaith dialogue and cooperation. 5.Utilizing development and social programs that respond to the felt needs of communities as a channel for raising awareness and organizing for action. 6.Setting up exposures, exchange visits and live-in experience programs for youth and grassroots communities. 7.Reaching out to support groups for financial aid and human resources that help sustain local and regional interfaith initiatives. We further recommend to the international community that: 1.Assistance be given to organize workshops/consultations and other inter-faith youth programs to help strengthen and expand the regional network. 2.To help provide opportunities for interfaith youth of Asia to study and learn the skills and knowledge needed to build peace constituencies. 3.Support be given to establish an interfaith youth center for research, documentation, publication, and dissemination of information that can strengthen the work of youth in confronting the issues identified. 4.Help build interfaith spiritual centers that foster interfaith understanding, cooperation and inner transformation. 5.Governments, religious institutions and UN bodies be urged to support interfaith youth initiatives for justice and peace. We urge that all women, young people and marginalized communities affected by political, economic, religious or social policies, be given a voice in decision-making processes. May peace prevail in the world. posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 16, 2004 Letter from the human rights meetingThirty participants from 18 countries, who attended the eighth human rights training program organised by the CCA in Jakarta, Indonesia has issued the following letter to the churches in Asia. The participants unanimously resolved to write to all the churches to request action on Human Rights matters. We learnt that enjoyment of Human Rights is firmly grounded in our biblical and theological tradition. We learnt that the Church is a sanctuary for all. And we heard God�s call to all Churches to be responsive to the Gospel in bringing the Good News to all those who suffer human rights abuses and for us to be a peacemaker. We also noted that all countries experience some form of Human Rights violations or another. We therefore respectfully request your consideration of the following points: 1. The Church is a sanctuary for all 2. The Church is to lead by example � be the salt of the earth and the light of the world that Christ has called us to be 3. The Church is a vehicle to encourage sound theological Human Rights education from the pulpit, in Christian Education and Sunday Schools 4. To put a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 on church bulletin boards 5. That Human Rights include socio-economic rights and redistributive justice 6. The Church should take care of and help the victims of human rights abuses, and recognize that those who have gone through fairly traumatic experience and/or pro-longed abuse will have some psychological barriers to break before they could really get back in life 7. All Churches must stand united for Human Rights and take action against Human Rights violations 8. The Church should promote interfaith dialog and relationship 9. The Church should promote human rights to the community as whole and giving Human Rights education to other faith believers as well 10. The Church should establish a trust fund for Human Rights 11. All Churches should lobby the government to practice the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations since 1948 12. All Churches should network internationally to promote Human Rights and increase support for the work of the World Council of Churches or Christian Conference of Asia in organizing Human Rights trainings. Jakarta, August 14,2004 The Participants of the 8th CCA-Annual Human Rights Training posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 To the leaders of the Church in SudanSeptember 4, 2004 Brothers and sisters, We write to you from Nairobi, Kenya, where we are meeting as representatives of the Christian ecumenical bodies of the eight continents and regions of the World -- Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America, and the Pacific -- and of the World Council of Churches. We are meeting during a time of appalling and continuing instances of conflict and violence, from nearby Sudan to North Ossetia in Russia and in the Middle East, but we greet you in the name of him who said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Sudan has had a special place in the life and mission of the ecumenical movement since our ecumenical engagements in the peace process go way back to the early seventies. WCC and AACC have played a major role in giving an ecumenical and global voice to the prevailing situation in the Sudan. We affirm the Pastoral visit to North Sudan by WCC and the AACC earlier this year as an exercise of listening to the Churches, seeing the situation first hand and also encouraging you to embrace the hope for peace. We assure you of the love, care and solidarity of the churches of the World. We pledge ourselves to continue to urge the Churches of the World to work closely with the ecumenical fellowship in Sudan to promote health, food security and education for all people in the country. The situation in both the Darfur Region and Southern Sudan continues to be a source of great concern to us. WE have been greatly encouraged by the signing of the peace agreements in Naivasha on June 13th, 2004. We are conscious of your concern that all the stakeholders should be encouraged and required to abide by the terms of agreement. We see your self-determination achieved. We will urge the Church to be vigilant in order to ensure that the peace agreements from the Naivash meetings are implemented without rancor and take effect on schedule. We are anxious that the loose ends in the agreements will be soon tied up. The world church is standing by to respond to the call to assist in the daunting challenge of rebuilding your beautiful country. The urgency for the resolution of the crisis in the Darfur Region is a matter of great priority for us. We are disturbed at the continuing killings of the people by the Janjaweed militias. We insist on the responsibility of the Government of Sudan in fulfilling its responsibility of caring for all the peoples of Sudan. We add our voice to those that call for a free movement of the humanitarian agencies to provide care and assistance to the people caught up in this unfortunate situation. We are greatly encouraged by the sending of peace forces into the Sudan by the African Union. As representatives of World Ecumenical Christianity we assure you of our solidarity with you in your ministry in this situation and long for the day these conflicts will be finally resolved. In the light of this we stand to hear from you more of how we would be of greater assistance to you and communities in the struglle for peace in Sudan. Your Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The Revd Dr H Mvume Dandala General Secretary All Africa Council of Churches Tel: +254-20-4441338/9 Dr Ahn Jae Woong General Secretary Christian Conference of Asia Tel: +852-2691-1068 The Rt Rev Dr Kingsley Lewis Member Continuation Committee Caribbean Conference of Churches Tel: The Revd Dr Keith Clements General Secretary Conference of European Churches Tel: +41-22-791-6226 The Revd Israel Batista General Secretary Latin American Council of Churches Tel: Guirguis I. Saleh General Secretary Middle East Council of Churches Tel: +9613-903523; or +2012-3998833 The Revd Dr Karen Hamilton General Secretary Canadian Council of Churches Tel: +1-416-972-9494 ext 22 The Revd Valamotu Palu General Secretary Pacific Conference of Churches Tel: The Revd Dr Bob Edgar General Secretary National Council of Churches USA Tel: +1-212-870-3398 (office), +1-917-821-0852 (cell) The Revd Dr Sam Kobia General Secretary World Council of Churches +41-22-791-6284 This letter is facilitated through the office of the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches: PO Box 2100 150 route de Ferney CH-1211 Geneva 2 Switzeralnd Tel: +44-22-791-6284 Fax: E-mail: posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 Letter from the REOs meeting in NairobiLetter from Regional Ecumenical Organizations meeting in Nairobi, Kenya to United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan 4 September 2004 We write to you from Nairobi, Kenya, where we are meeting as representatives of the Christian ecumenical bodies of eight continents and regions of the world - Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America, the Pacific - and of the World Council of Churches. We are meeting during a time of appalling and continuing instances of conflict and violence, from nearby Sudan to North Ossetia in Russia and in the Middle East, but we greet you in the name of him who said, "Blessed are the peacemakers�. In May this year several of us were privileged to meet with you in your office in New York. On 17 May Dr Sam Kobia, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, met with you and on 24 May you received a delegation of church representatives from the USA, Canada and Europe. We recall those meetings with deep gratitude and appreciation. We were moved by your readiness to find time in your schedule to receive us and by the evident seriousness with which you listened to us and attended to our concerns. We further appreciated your sincere recognition of the positive role which faith and religious commitment can and do play in working for reconciliation in a world of conflict and violence. We left much encouraged by a real sense of commonality of interest and purpose between yourself and ecumenical Christianity. Among the fruits of Dr Kobia's conversation with you has been the call to churches throughout the world to observe 21 September as a day of prayer for peace, to be shared with people of all faiths, and for this we are deeply thankful. All of us meeting here in Nairobi wish to take this opportunity of reaffirming the deep desire of our organisations and member churches to support the United Nations, and you personally, at this critical time on the world scene. We believe that the UN remains the indispensable instrument of the nations of the world if they are to remove the scourge of war from the earth and to establish the conditions for peace, notably: observance of human rights, a just sharing of the earth's resources, eliminating poverty and all forms of discrimination. In face of all tendencies either to disregard it or exploit it for particular national ends, we believe that the unique status of the UN in the eyes of all its member states must be restored, accompanied by a renewed respect for international law and the desire to solve conflicts by a truly multilateral approach. We are committing ourselves to promoting this view of the UN in our respective church constituencies. Soon the UN will be marking the 60th anniversary of its founding. We share the hopes of many that this will present an opportunity for a just appraisal of the role which the UN has played since the Second World War, and at the same time an examination of how it can be adapted to fulfill more effectively its role in a world which has changed so much in sixty years. Coming as we do from all regions of the world, we are very conscious that to many peoples and nations, especially outside Europe and North America, the inherited structures of governance of the UN do not adequately reflect the present realities and needs of the world as a whole. We look forward to sharing in and contributing to the coming debate on these issues, for we believe in the UN and in its future. Returning to a more personal level, we especially wish you to know the deep respect and trust in which you are held among us and those whom we represent. It is difficult for us to conceive the pressures you must experience day by day, but we hope that on your part you can imagine the spiritual support with which you are surrounded. Be assured that every discouraging sign which you encounter, whether of indifference to or hostility towards the UN and your work, is being countered by the hopes and prayers of countless people of faith and goodwill around the world. We will always be ready to offer signs of this support in further meetings with you, and to hear your own expectations and hopes of the churches in facing the current challenges for peace and justice. Indeed we would welcome the opportunity of such a meeting before the end of this year and one of our colleagues will be in contact with your office about this possibility. Attached to this sentiment we would like to offer a specific suggestion. We believe it would be very appropriate if, in addition to your statements on particular problems, crises and conflicts, and your reports to the governing bodies of the UN, you felt able from time to time to deliver what would amount to a "State of the World" message, addressing global issues and placing particular problems in a world perspective - and also pointing to wherever you see signs of hope. This, we believe, would not only serve to enhance the profile of the UN in the eyes of people at large, but also would help to generate and spread the sense that we are indeed living in one interdependent world where there can be no real peace and security for any if there is not peace and security for all. These thoughts, wishes and hopes, which we convey for your kind attention, come with our heartfelt prayers that you may be given all needed strength and wisdom and find blessing as you seek to fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to you. On behalf of our respective independent regional ecumenical organisations and the World Council of Churches, Rev. Dr H. Mvume Dandala General Secretary All Africa Conference of Churches Dr. Ahn Jae Woong General Secretary Christian Conference of Asia Rev. Dr Kingsley Lewis Member Continuation Committee Caribbean Conference of Churches Rev. Keith Clements General Secretary Conference of European Churches Rev. Israel Batista General Secretary Latin American Council of Churches Mr. Guirguis I. Saleh General Secretary Middle East Council of Churches Rev. Dr Karen Hamilton General Secretary Canadian Council of Churches Rev. Dr Bob Edgar General Secretary National Council of Churches USA Rev. Valamotu Palu General Secretary Pacific Council of Churches Rev. Dr Sam Kobia General Secretary World Council of Churches posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 09, 2004 |
