wfn.org | International Human Rights Day: Call to Churches to Assert

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

International Human Rights Day: Call to Churches to Assert Support for Human
Dignity
LWF General Secretary Says 'War against Terrorism' Threatens Hard-won
Guarantees 

GENEVA, 10 December 2004 (LWI) * As International Human Rights Day is
celebrated worldwide today, the general secretary of the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko calls for a re-examination of the
churches' role in the teaching and promotion of human rights.

In a statement issued today, Noko points out that hard-won human rights
guarantees are being questioned and challenged again in the name of national
security and the 'war against terrorism'. He asks churches to resume their
historic support for the legal protection of human dignity.

In the context of Advent, the LWF General Secretary calls for recommitment to
act in solidarity with victims of oppression, as this day is a reminder of
the "continued conflict and division in our world and its brutal contrast to
the peace and reconciliation that Christ came to bring." 

International Human Rights Day marks the anniversary of the United Nations
General Assembly's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in
1948. (183 words)

The full statement of LWF the General Secretary follows:

Statement of the General Secretary 
of the Lutheran World Federation 
on International Human Rights Day

International Human Rights Day, observed on December 10 each year, is an
occasion for reflection on how many people around the world continue to be
denied their rights and fundamental freedoms * the rights and freedoms that
respect the image of God in every human being, and that are enshrined in
international law. In the midst of our joyful Advent journey towards the
great celebration of Christmas, International Human Rights Day reminds us of
the continued conflict and division in our world and its brutal contrast to
the peace and reconciliation that Christ came to bring.

At this moment in history many hard-won human rights guarantees are once
again being questioned and challenged, in the name of national security and
the 'war against terrorism'. Churches must remember and resume their historic
support for the principles of human rights and for the legal protections of
human dignity.

On this day, let us pray for all those who suffer human injustice, and
re-commit ourselves to act in solidarity with the victims of oppression. Let
us re-examine the role of our churches, including in the teaching of human
rights as well as in their promotion. And let us overcome our reticence to be
prophets in the struggle for justice and human rights.

Geneva
10 December 2004

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138 member
churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of nearly 65
million Lutherans. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of
common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith 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 the LWF's information service. Unless
specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or
opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.]

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