wfn.org | AACC Challenges the Church to Promote Lasting Peace

["Carol Fouke" <cfouke@ncccusa.org>]

AACC CHALLENGES THE CHURCH TO PROMOTE LASTING PEACE

NAIROBI, KENYA -- November 5, 2004 -- Sierra Leone has suffered war for
almost a decade, from 1991.  The inhabitants knew nothing save serious
unrelenting humanitarian crisis caused by war and terror leaving the country
in ruins.  Over 70,000 were killed and thousands mutilated.  Almost half of
its population was displaced.  However, in 1999, with the signing of the Lome
Peace Agreement on 7 July 1999 calm returned to Sierra Leone.  Today they are
busy rebuilding their very beautiful country.  The General Secretary of the
All Africa Conference of Churches, on behalf of the churches in Africa,
visited the country to among other things, express solidarity with the people
of Sierra Leone and also to encourage the process of rebuilding the country.

By Polycarp Omolo Ochilo, AACC Executive Secretary for International Affairs

The church must be in the forefront in the promotion of a lasting peace in
Africa.  The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) General Secretary, Rev.
Dr. Mvume Dandala has said.  The church, he said, must speak out and stand
side by side with the flock, God's children, adding that God desires nothing
less than a lasting peace for his people everywhere in the world.  

Rev. Dr. Dandala was addressing various church leaders, civil society leaders
and women leaders during a public forum in Freetown, Sierra Leone.  The forum
was organized by the Christian Council of Sierra Leone (CCSL).	The forum's
theme was "Political, Economic and Ecclesiological Challenges facing the
church in Africa".  Rev. Dr. Dandala was leading the AACC delegation for a
pastoral visit to Sierra Leone and Liberia last month.	The delegation
included the AACC Vice President for West Africa, Bishop Andrew Okenwa, the
Methodist Bishop from Nigeria, the AACC Executive Secretary for Ecumenical
Relations Rev. Arnold Temple and the Executive Secretary for International
Affairs, Mr. Polycarp Omolo Ochilo.

Dr. Dandala told the Forum that the AACC delegation had come to Sierra Leone
and Liberia to be in solidarity with the churches in these two countries, and
to listen to them, so that the AACC advocacy could be informed and affirmed
by their expressions.

He said, the challenges of civil wars and their consequences in the two
countries of loss of human lives of men, women and children were
unacceptable.  He went on to add, that the almost total destruction of the
history and civilization of these countries through senseless destruction of
properties including sacred places are a test to our faith and our humanity. 

"The church", he said, "more than any other body is best placed to deal with
these challenges.  The suffering and struggles of the people of Rwanda,
Burundi, Liberia, Sierra Leone, DRC and others in troubled countries of
Africa and elsewhere, borne out of negative experiences of history and from
our own oppression with the tools of war", he said, "should make us learn and
never to surrender to the forces of tyranny that subject our people to
inhuman treatment with impunity".  

Instead, he said, "we have moral and ethical obligations as church to strive
to embrace those things which brings us together and not those which separate
us so that we can celebrate our differences with dignity and confidence". 
The church, he went on, is therefore, called upon to be in the forefront in
using her prophetic voice in the restoration of the African dignity and pains
of wars and conflicts.	He added that, the church must also take lead in
building the weaker democratic structures in Africa, social and economic
foundations, and put in force measures against discrimination of women.  He
said that those vices were so much responsible for numerous causes of
instabilities in Africa.

The AACC delegation and Heads of churches in Sierra Leone also met with the
Commissioner of Anti-corruption Commission, Valentine J. Collier.  Briefing
the delegation, Mr. Collier said corruption is one of the greatest challenges
facing many African governments.  "If you look around in any country and you
see children looking for food from dustbins," he said, then not only is
something wrong in that country, but you are also seeing effects of
corruption at first sight.  Mr. Collier challenged the church to understand
their deep roles in society.  The church he said, is the foundational source
of societal values, and conscience of the state.  Yet, all we see from the
church is fear, silence and sadly at times, accommodation of societal ills!

In his response, Dr. Dandala said that the AACC was offering the churches in
Africa to all the anti-corruption governing structures in Africa to take a
serious stand against corruption.  He said, that the Eighth Assembly of the
AACC in Cameroon took a critical analysis of corruption.  This he said, led
to the adoption of the binding covenants on corruption collectively by the
churches in Africa.

At the end of the visit in Sierra Leone, a number of key issues critical to
the churches, the people of Sierra Leone and Africa emerged.  These are
challenges relating to Advocacy and other specific forms of intervention such
as:

i	the need for continuing the capacity building for the church, the
public sector, the civil society and the private sector as well.  While the
evidence exists on the excellent job done so far by these groups towards the
re-building of Sierra Leone, much more needs to be done wholistically in the
whole country.	

ii	The continuation of the healing, reconciliation and conflict
resolution as a process of ensuring a lasting peace and peaceful co-existence
of the people of Sierra Leone, and

iii	The church and state relations:  It is evident that the churches in
Sierra Leone have, and continue collectively to play key roles such as
services in education, health, food, reconciliation, healing etc.  The
church's presence is visible as part and parcel of the Sierra Leone Society. 
Similarly, the government as the political embodiment of Sierra Leone, is
constitutionally legitimated by the people of Sierra Leone to rule the
country.  It is therefore, imperative for both the church and the government
of the day to understand more profoundly that the communality of their
obligation to work for the good of people can only be sustained and in a
useful manner if they put God's children, the people, first.  

Earlier, the General Secretary of the CCSL, Alimamy Koroma who was the host
briefed the delegation on various challenges facing the Council.  He said the
pains, scars and effects of the war are still visible in Sierra Leone. 
However, the Council, he said, has successfully been ministering to the
Sierra Leone people.  "We have and continue", he said, "to provide services
such as health, relief food, education, peace and conflict interventions as
well as taking part in a number of rehabilitation and integration programmes
for our people."  Mr. Koroma appealed for continued assistance and
partnership with the people Sierra Leone.

For further information, please contact:

Akinyi Lucy Ogot
Communication and Advocacy
AACC,
P. O. Box 14205,
NAIROBI.

Email: infodesk@aacc-ceta.org; Web: www.aacc-ceta.org
Tel: (254 20) 444 1338/444 1339/444 1483
Fax: (253 20) 444 3241/444 5835