wfn.org | British churches join in prayers for peace, justice

["NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

March 21, 2003	News media contact: Kathy Gilbert7(615)742-54707Nashville,
Tenn.	10-71BI{165}

By United Methodist News Service

The president of the British Methodist Church and the moderator for the Free
Churches of Britain issued statements March 21 calling for peace and justice
in Iraq and worldwide.

The statements followed a meeting of faith leaders at Lambeth Palace, home of
the archbishop of Canterbury.

"On behalf of the Methodist Church, we wish to support entirely the faith
leaders, Christian, Muslim and Jewish, who met at Lambeth Palace today," said
the Rev. Ian White and Professor Peter Howdle, president and vice president
of the Methodist Conference.

"The prayers of the Methodist people are for peace and justice - in Iraq and
across the world," they said. "We urge that everything possible will be done
to minimize the loss of life in the conflict in Iraq.

"We are especially mindful of all those who are directly involved in the
fighting, on both sides, and of their families and friends. Our hearts go out
to the relatives of those who have lost their lives in the early hours of
military action. Methodist ministers who are serving as chaplains in all
three of the armed services are especially close to our hearts as they
exercise a particularly demanding ministry."

Saying they "shall not cease to pray" for Prime Minister Tony Blair and all
members of the government, the Methodists called for British leaders to:
7	Achieve their military aims with minimum loss of life and damage to
Iraq's cities and villages.
7	Work with the United Nations, aid agencies and all interested
political groups to support at the earliest possible time a new
administration in Iraq that has the consent of the Iraqi people.
7	Declare a renewed commitment on behalf of the government to support
the U.N. Security Council.

"The Methodist Church makes clear its continuing commitment to do all in its
power to promote good community relations everywhere, and especially where
Christian, Muslim and Jewish people live in close proximity to one another."

White is the most senior minister in the British Methodist Church, and Howdle
is the most senior layperson. The Methodist Church is the largest of the Free
Churches in Britain, with more than 320,000 members attending about 6,100
congregations.

The Rev. David Coffey, moderator of the Free Churches, represented Methodists
as well as other denominations at the Lambeth meeting. 

In a joint statement, the faith leaders there expressed concern for the
British forces, "their families and everyone caught up in this conflict ...
especially those whose lives or loved ones have been lost." 

"As religious leaders from several faiths, we are here to signal the common
ground on which we stand and to reaffirm the values we share at this time of
tension, conflict and discord," they said. They prayed that God will grant
"wisdom, judgment and compassion" to political and military leaders, and
emphasized the need to protect the rights of innocent civilians affected by
the conflict.

"This is a conflict neither about religion nor between religions," the faith
leaders said. "We completely reject any attempt to misrepresent it in this
way. As Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders in this country, we
believe that it is vital, amid so much uncertainty and turmoil, to resist any
attempt to drive our communities apart." 

Military action is "a limited means to an end," they said. "We pray that
early efforts to achieve a just, lasting and secure peace both in Iraq and
throughout the Middle East may follow swiftly in the footsteps of war." 

Besides Coffey, the group included the Rev. Rowan Williams, archbishop of
Canterbury; Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop of Westminster; Dr.
Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi; Shaikh Zaki Badawi, chairman of the Council of
Mosques and Imams UK; and the Rev. Esme Beswick, co-president of Churches
Together in England. 
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United Methodist News Service
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