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World Council of Churches
Update Up-04-16
For Immediate Use
29 March 2004

World and European ecumenical bodies appeal for peace in Kosovo, warn against
misuse of religion in conflict

Cf. WCC Press Update PU-02-24 of 20 August 2002

Churches and religious communities "must reject any attempt, from any
quarter, to use religion as a motivating factor for conflict," and should
"raise their voice" to confront the "new wave of violent intolerance and
extremism" in Kosovo, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference
of European Churches (CEC) say in a joint letter.

In the letter, sent today to His Holiness Pavle, Orthodox Patriarch of
Serbia, the WCC and CEC general secretaries Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia and Rev. Dr
Keith Clements, respectively, report that the violence is "affecting the life
of thousands and bringing destruction to the cultural and spiritual
heritage". They express their grief "at this outbreak of conflict which is
not only inflicting immense suffering here and now, but threatens to create
even more difficulties for the long-term peace of Kosovo and the region". 

The letter supports the "appeals for peace and prayer" made by the patriarch 
and the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church. "We pray with those who
are mourning for the victims of the violence" and with "those who have been
forced to leave their homes or see them destroyed by hatred," the general
secretaries state. 

Following the series of attacks on Orthodox churches in Kosovo, they also
uphold the appeal of the patriarch for "respect to be paid to all religious
and sacred buildings", and for "protection to be ensured for them by the
authorities", mentioning in particular efforts to protect a mosque in
Belgrade that was attacked in response to the events in Kosovo.

The letter mentions the "dismay" of "all who have worked, hoped and prayed
for the building of peace and stability in Kosovo since the conflict of
1999", and says it is "shameful" that, once again, people are being "driven
from their homes to join the thousands who have still not been able to return
home". It also joins in the prayer of the patriarch for people not to give in
to the "desire for revenge, which will only strengthen the cycle of violence
and deny hope for the future". 

The full text of the WCC-CEC letter is available on our website:
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/wcc-cec-letter.html 

More information on "The churches and the Kosovo crisis" (1999) is available
on our website:
http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/kosfol0.html 

For further information, please contact Juan Michel, WCC  media relations
officer,  tel: +41 22 791 6153, mobile +41 79 507 6363, media@wcc-coe.org  

**********

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
Samuel Kobia from the Methodist Church in Kenya.

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