wfn.org | LWF general secretary calls for reflection on discrimination

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

  of minorities
400th anniversary of Edict of Nantes

GENEVA, 26 March 1998 (lwi) - In commemoration of the Edict of Nantes,
general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Ishmael Noko, has
called for reflection on discrimination against and oppression of religious
and social minorities.

The Edict of Nantes, which was signed on March 30, 1598 by French King
Henry IV, "calls us all to reflect with humility and with prayer on the
spiritual as well as the social implications of that very significant
historical event", the March 25 statement says.

The deep suffering of so many adherents to Protestant movements in France
before and after the Reformation is one of the dark chapters of European
history, he writes. At the same time, the anniversary of the Edict of
Nantes also "gives us courage in the knowledge that justice can gain power
over injustice and fairness over bias". This historical event, he
concludes, is a lesson both in tolerance and vigilance since the values and
principles which allow us to live together must be unceasingly reaffirmed
and defended.

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Lutheran World Information
Editorial Assistant: Janet Bond-Nash
E-mail: jbn@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/