wfn.org | LWF News in brief

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

 ... Archbishop emeritus of Finland Martti Simojoki passes away.
Emeritus archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland,
Martti Simojoki passed away in Helsinki on 25 April 1999 aged 101 years.
A vice president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) from 1963 to
1970, one of his major ecumenical inputs was the opening of dialogue
between the Lutheran church in Finland and the Russian Orthodox Church
in the early 70s. Current archbishop Jukka Paarma described the late
Simojoki "as a spiritual leader a head taller than the others, and one
of the most significant church leaders not only in Finland but also in
the whole of Europe." In the Finnish church, he worked as bishop in
three dioceses for more than 25 years and as archbishop of Turku and
Finland from 1964 to 1978.

 ... LWF provides assistance to peace building in Sierra Leone, Liberia.
The Inter-faith Council of Liberia, with support from the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) Department for World Service (DWS) Liberia program,
recently hosted the Sierra Leonean Inter-religious Council, which was in
Monrovia to present an official message to president Charles Taylor. In
the statement presented on 16 April 1999 by a representative of the 17-
member delegation comprising both Christian and Islamic religious
organizations, the Sierra Leoneans called for Taylor's intervention to
help bring to an end the conflict in their country. The president
thanked the delegation for their interest in finding a lasting solution
to the war in their country but pointed out that Liberia's role was only
limited to that of a facilitator. Citing his own country as a good
example of conflict resolution that could be emulated, the head of state
emphasized that it was incumbent on Sierra Leoneans to resolve their
problems.

 ... Church institutions in Colombia agree on closer collaboration. The
Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI) -sponsored Churches' Peace
Plan and the Evangelical Council of Colombia (CEDECOL) have entered
basic agreements to coordinate their activities and work towards greater
harmony in society. According to information availed to lwi by the Latin
America and Caribbean Communication Agency (ALC), the decision was
reached during a meeting held in Bogota on 7 April 1999. Participants
from the two institutions which have been working independently for
quite some time, discovered that there are many possibilities to join
efforts as both entities work in defense of human rights, conflict
resolution and education for peace and justice. At the same time
participants agreed to coordinate preparations for a visit to be made
next June by representatives of three church organizations supporting
work for peace in Colombia namely the Lutheran World Federation (LWF),
the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the National Council of Churches
of Christ in the USA (NCCCUSA). Among the CLAI churches is the LWF
member church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Colombia with 3,173
people.

 ... Italy's president receives Protestant churches' delegation. A
delegation from the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI),
recently visiting the state president, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, reaffirmed
its strong condemnation of the death penalty as expressed by FCEI member
churches and elsewhere in the world. According to the federation's press
service, nev, the delegation which included the FCEI president, Rev.
Domenico Tomasetto, recalled that Protestant churches in Italy, even
though a small minority that had suffered discrimination and
persecution, were an important part of Italian society and had made a
contribution to the national history. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Italy was represented by Dr. Gaetano Marullo. In his discussion with the
churches' team, Scalfaro touched on the themes of the death penalty and
defence of human rights worldwide.

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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/