wfn.org | Inter-Faith Groups Urged to Send Regional Peace Teams to

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Inter-Faith Groups Urged to Send Regional Peace Teams to Conflict
Areas 
Noko Commends Religious Leaders for Southern Africa Inter-Faith
Plan of Action

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa/GENEVA, 3 October 2003 (LWI) - A
two-day inter-faith conference for the Southern African region
ended in Johannesburg on with the adoption of a Plan of Action
calling on religious leaders to send regional peace teams to
areas of conflict wherever these arise in Southern Africa.

With this appeal, religious leaders from the eleven countries
represented at the conference, affirmed their ongoing commitment
to seeking and maintaining peace in the region and to move from
consultation to action. 

Faith groups should be able to call upon each other speedily and
interact effectively in time of need, the declaration reads. For
this reason, delegates committed themselves to implement some
practical steps as soon as possible. These include the
establishment of inter-faith groups in countries where these do
not yet exist; gathering of a reliable database of faith
institutions and religious leaders; and holding at least one
inter-faith conference or indaba (consultation) plus one
capacity workshop every year in each country. Also included
is the regular reporting by national inter-faith groups to the
regions; and the establishment of a quarterly newsletter.

The Southern Africa Inter-Faith Plan of Action was adopted by
more than 50 religious representatives of the African Traditional
Religion, Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim
faiths. It is based on the Johannesburg Inter-Faith Declaration 
Embracing the Gift of Peace, a shared commitment to safeguarding
peace in Africa, which was the outcome of the 2002 Inter-Faith
Peace Summit in Africa. 

The regional plan of action from the conference will be carried
back to the countries of Southern Africa with the task of
promoting dialogue between faith communities, including the
witnessing and better understanding of each others rites of
worship. It also mandates the respective religious groups to
pro-actively involve themselves in social, educational and health
projects. 

Acknowledging the devastating effect of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in
the region, the plan of action also calls on religious leaders to
support their respective governments in their efforts to find
solutions and also deal with this issue by advocating a moral
lifestyle as prescribed by our respective teachings.

In his closing remarks, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary
of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) described the declaration
as a miracle. It took time and patience and spiritual maturity
to achieve this, he said. 

The conference was organized by the LWF and hosted by the
National Religious Leaders Forum of South Africa (NRLFSA).
Participants came from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and
South Africa. There were also representatives from Senegal and
Kenya. Similar meetings are planned for the Western and
Eastern/Central regions. (457 words)

(By LWI correspondent Erika von Wietersheim, Namibia)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 136 member churches in 76 countries representing over 61.7
million of the 65.4 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is LWF' informa
tion service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where
the dateline of a article contains the notation (LWI), the
material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

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