WCC NEWS: WCC executive committee sends message to Syrian Churches

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>World Council of Churches - News

WCC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SENDS MESSAGE TO SYRIAN CHURCHES

>For immediate release: 20 February 2012

The members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Executive Committee
have sent a pastoral message to the churches in Syria extending solidarity
as they face enormous challenges due to the ongoing violence in the
country.

The message comes at a time when the situation in Syria continues to
deteriorate. The situation was discussed in a meeting at the WCC
headquarters in Geneva in late December 2011, in which some twenty Syrian
church leaders from various Christian traditions in Syria participated.

The message was crafted by the Executive Committee during their meetings
last week from 14 to 18 February in Bossey, Switzerland. In the message
they expressed hope for an end to violence and a national dialogue to
emerge from the conflict, based on peace with justice, recognition of
human rights and human dignity and the need to live together in mutual
respect.

The message also strongly supported a joint letter from the three heads of
churches in Syria sent out to congregations in the country in December. In
the letter they condemned "the use of any type of violence" while
encouraging their members "not to fear and not to lose hope".

It also called on WCC member churches to "engage in concrete actions of
solidarity" during this time of difficulties. Quoting the WCC constitution
the message read "as a fellowship of churches we are to express the common
concern of the churches in the service of human need, the breaking down of
barriers between people and the promotion of one human family in justice
and peace".

Read full text of the WCC Executive Committee message to the Syrian
churches (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=c42b19269cc04a9d8839
)

WCC leader calls for an end to Syrian violence (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=37a39f4d641988b17e94
) (WCC press release of 9 August 2011)

WCC member churches in Syria (Link:

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=cad1c695829320905867 )

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.

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