wfn.org | WCC - Message to the churches and people of the United

["Sheila Mesa" <smm@wcc-coe.org>]

States of America

World Council of Churches
Press Release, PR-01-32
For Immediate Use
11 September 2001

Message to the churches and people of the United States of
America

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, Rev. Dr
Konrad Raiser, on Tuesday 11 September sent the following message
to the churches and people of the United States of America:

"News of the terrible tragedies in New York and Washington, D.C.
has just arrived here in Geneva where the Executive Committee of
the World Council of Churches (WCC) is currently meeting.   

At their request and on their behalf, and for all our member
churches around the world, I wish to express to the people of the
United States, their churches and religious bodies, and to the
president and other leaders of the nation, our profound shock and
our heartfelt sympathy.  

You are all in our prayers.  We pray especially for the victims
of these tragedies and for their families and loved ones.  We
pray for those providing emergency services.  We pray for the
leaders of your nation.  May God give them courage and wisdom in
this terrible hour.  We fervently pray that this is the end of
terror, and implore those responsible to desist from any further
such acts of inhumanity.

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.  Amen.

Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser
General Secretary

Geneva, 11 September 2001"

For further information, please contact Karin Achtelstetter,
Media Relations Officer, Tel.:  (+41.22) 791.61.53   Mobile: 
(+41) 79.284.52.12

**********
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of churches,
now 342, 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. Its staff is headed by general
secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

World Council of Churches
Media Relations Office
Tel: (41 22) 791 6153 / 791 6421
Fax: (41 22) 798 1346
E-mail: ka@wcc-coe.org 
Web: www.wcc-coe.org 

PO Box 2100
1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland