ACNS 4864 Ecumenical peace convocation opens with strong calls from global voices

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Posted On : May 19, 2011 3:43 PM | Posted By : Admin ACO

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<http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/5/19/ACNS4864>http://www.aco.org/acn 
s/news.cfm/2011/5/19/ACNS4864

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- Ecumenical  <http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/Global>Global

[Editor's note: Around 30 Anglicans/Episcopalians
from 17 different Provinces are attending the
International Ecumenical Peace Convocation]

The International Ecumenical Peace Convocation
(IEPC) formally opened on Wednesday in Kingston,
Jamaica, as theologians, faith leaders and the
prime minister of Jamaica welcomed some 1,000
participants from more than 100 countries.
Keynote speaker Canon Dr Paul Oestreicher, a
globally recognized peace activist, called for
churches across all spiritual traditions to
strengthen their position on peace, even while
recognizing their own history of declaring war in the name of God.
?Under the sign of the cross, Christian nations
conquered other nations,? he said. ?In the
crusades, they massacred the children of Islam.
That has not been forgotten. We, just like our
brothers and sisters in Islam, regard those who
die in battle as certain of a place in heaven.?
Oestreicher acknowledged that the path to peace
is obstructed by political complexities.
?At the moment war, once it starts, is held by
most of our neighbours to be honourable, probably
necessary, and sometimes noble. Language
disguises the bloody, cruel reality,? he said.
The Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary
of the World Council of Churches (WCC), moderated
the convocation?s opening session, which included
an opening prayer service, greetings, and stories
of churches seeking peace and reconciliation.
?I believe that God has called us here from many
parts of the world to carry from your countries
your experiences,? he said. ?Many of you carry
with you the realities of the injustice of violence.?
Those from the Caribbean region and Jamaica
welcomed IEPC participants, many of whom were
visiting Jamaica for the first time.
Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding
acknowledged his own country's history of
violence and, at the same time, its ingenuity and
resilience in coping over the decades.
?I genuinely believe that we were all created by
the same God,? he said. ?The challenge is: how
can we transform our discussion into a shared set
of values that are universally accepted and sustained.?
Theologians began asking the questions that IEPC
participants will wrestle with during the next
week. Archbishop Metropolitan Hilarion of
Volokolamsk, chairman of the department of
external church relations of the Russian Orthodox
Church, spoke of Christians and others across the
globe who are daily exposed to humiliation and threats.
?The principle question we have to answer is what
we as Christians can do together in the face of
growing violence, aggression, exploitation and terror,? he said.
The IEPC comes at the end of a Decade to Overcome
Violence, an initiative of the WCC that strove to
strengthen existing efforts and networks for
preventing and overcoming violence, as well as
inspire the creation of new ones.
The Rev. Dr Margot Kaessmann, a Lutheran
theologian and minister in the Evangelical Church
of Germany, said that IEPC participants are part
of a long and complex journey that only begins this week.
?Our economies profit from violence and war that
we lament,? she said. ?Religion plays a vital
role with regard to peace-making and overcoming
violence. It is time that religion refuses to be
misused by pouring oil into the fire of war and hatred.?
The opening plenary was preceded by an opening
worship and prayer service filled with song and
prayers for peace. The events of the afternoon
were closed with a prayer from Jamaican
Archbishop Donald Reece of the Roman Catholic Church.
Both events were broadcast live around the world
through a video stream available through the IEPC
website www.overcomingviolence.org. The morning
plenaries throughout the remainder of the IEPC
will also be broadcast live through a video
stream from 10:30 am ? 12:30 pm local time (GMT - 5 hours).
<http://www.overcomingviolence.org/>IEPC website

<http://www.overcomingviolence.org/?id=8455>Text
of the speeches at the opening plenary

> The IEPC in social media

> High resolution photos of the event may be
> requested free of charge via
> <http://photos.oikoumene.org/?c=2045>photos.oikoumene.org