wfn.org | LWI 2008-054 LWF and WCC Urge Government Intervention in Ending Orissa Violence

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LWF and WCC Urge Government Intervention in Ending Orissa Violence
Solidarity Prayers and Fasting on 7 September

GENEVA, 4 September 2008 (LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and  the World Council of Churches (WCC) have appealed for the Indian government 's intervention in ending ongoing violence in the country's northeastern  state of Orissa.

In a joint letter today addressed to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, LWF  and WCC General Secretaries Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko and Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia,  respectively, appeal to the prime minister "to ensure an immediate  cessation of violence, the restoration of law and justice, and sanctuary  for the displaced."

Citing information received from the LWF and WCC member churches in India,  the general secretaries point out that indiscriminate killings, burning of  church buildings and destruction of institutions continue in the Gajapati  and Khandamal districts and other parts of Orrissa.

Noko and Kobia state, "it is the most vulnerable sections of the population  who are worst affected by the violence," and urge more long-term support  to such communities so that they can reconstruct their lives.

According to Rev. Dr A. G. Augustine Jeyakumar, Executive Secretary of the  United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI), the communal  violence, which reportedly started following the 23 August murder of a  Hindu spiritual leader, targets the Christian community, with "fundamentali st groups going from village to village destroying churches, burning  houses, attacking and killing Christians."

>Prayers and Fasting

Meanwhile the WCC is calling on its member churches and partners to join  in a 7 September prayer and fasting initiative of the National United  Christian Forum, which groups the National Council of Churches in India,  the Catholic Bishops Conference of India and the Evangelical Federation of  India.

In a letter to the WCC member churches in India, the general secretary  welcomes the Forum's initiative and urges solidarity in "praying for the  families of those who have lost their dear ones, for those who are  displaced, for all others who suffer the consequences of this violence and  for all those who are striving to restore trust and goodwill among people  and communities."

Some 20 people have been killed, 50,000 displaced and 4,000 homes have  been destroyed over the last ten days, as a result of the "worst ever  communal riots against Christians," according to a report by the Forum. Of  those who have fled their villages, some 13,000 are living in nine  government-run relief camps. Around 200 villages were affected, with  hundreds of churches burnt down.

On 29 August church-run educational institutions were closed and demonstrat ions held across the country as a sign of solidarity with the suffering  people and protest of the violence against Christian minorities in  Orissa.

Jeyakumar underscores the need to also initiate interfaith peace groups  that would be sensitized to address issues of communal violence. "We all  need to be united in our efforts to curb this carnage," he adds.

The UELCI comprises 10 Lutheran churches, and belongs to both the LWF and  WCC as well as the national Christian Forum. (501 words)

The full text of the LWF-WCC letter to the Indian Prime Minister is  available at, http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=6267

The full text of the WCC letter to the churches in India  is at, http://www .oikoumene.org/?id=6266

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(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran  tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 141  member churches in 79 countries all over the world, with a total membership  of over 68.3 million. 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.)

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