WCC NEWS: Orthodox perspectives on just peace at the IEPC

[WCC media <noreply@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches - News

ORTHODOX PERSPECTIVES ON JUST PEACE AT THE IEPC

For immediate release: 25 May 2011

A number of workshops led by the Orthodox were presented at the
International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC), held 17-25 May in
Kingston, Jamaica, leading to deep reflection and robust and honest
conversations.

Each of the workshops touched upon issues of just peace, as they dealt with
the four themes of the convocation: peace in the community, peace with the
earth, peace in the marketplace and peace among peoples.

The subject matter of the workshops ranged from Orthodox perspectives on
peace building, peacemaking, and the transforming power of the gospel in
the context of peace, as well as ecological theology and reconciliation.

Vibrant discussions took place in an atmosphere of mutual respect and
honesty. Orthodox participants from various contexts where they constitute
a minority contributed to the dialogue on peace, enriching and contesting
it from their particularly different social and religious realities.

Among the most important issues related to just peace, the issue of
nationalism evoked an intense discussion and active engagement on the part
of the participants.

Inclusive ecclesiology, loving the “other” as oneself, is the only way
to understand our belonging to the body of Christ, many said.

The fresh self-understanding and critical approach to the issues of the
secular world have been noted as a necessary precondition for missionary
work and witness in today’s pluralistic and multicultural world.

Conciliar discussion arose around the fact that the church’s witness
could be jeopardized if the church does not seriously engage with the
issues of modernity in the light of a theology of just peace. The theology
of peace has been constitutive to the Orthodox self-understanding yet a
challenge to their witness in the contemporary world.

Honest cooperation in inter-Christian and inter-religious dialogue leads
Orthodox Church into an inclusive understanding of ecclesiology. Orthodox
theology has a vast potential to contribute towards development of a
theology of just peace for which social or sociological approach is not a
complete condition.

The Orthodox perspective is directed towards theological engagement through
the living experience in Christ, “the prince of peace”. The
eschatological vision empowers the Orthodox to look forward but also to
foretaste the peace and harmony of the transformation of life in Christ.

Meaningful and remarkable participation of Christians from other traditions
enriched Orthodox workshops with their own experiences. Interventions
helped the Orthodox participants to engage in broader dialogue, and
revealed Orthodox vitality and comprehension of just peace in the modern
world.

(Link:  )IEPC website (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=bde3902c54911197e7ca )

IEPC photo galleries (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=abf9e8bca294f898fa98 )

IEPC videos (Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=b96b1b085594de28ade6
)

High resolution photos of the event may be requested free of charge via
photos.oikoumene.org (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=5850ea04e4647ad7938e )


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.



You receive this information as a subscriber of our media list. You are 
registered as Worldwide with the address wfn-editors@wfn.org.
Click here to unsubscribe or change your distribution settings 
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=1127adcecb88b7d32b02 ).