wfn.org | Summary of actions taken by the 1999 LWF Council meeting

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

Printed LWI to revert to weekly production
Press Release No. 15/99

BRATISLAVA, Slovak Republic/GENEVA, 1 July 1999 (lwi) - The print
version of the Lutheran World Information (lwi) will return to a
fortnightly production as soon as the  German-language assistant editor
has started work in Geneva. This resolution was passed by the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF) Council meeting in Bratislava from 22 to 29 June
1999. The lwi was also mandated by the Council to develop a subscription
policy and build a larger and better network of correspondents.

The LWF Council approved that the LWF will give the Ecumenical News
International (ENI) CHF 100, 000 (USD 77,000) for the year 2000.
Financial support at the same level would be provided for the year 2001
and 2002 in the expectation that ENI actively develop its network of
correspondents in a bid to improve the geographical balance of coverage,
broaden its funding basis by finding additional partners and sponsors.
The OCS will conduct before the next Council meeting a consultation
among German-speaking Lutheran churches and media agencies on the best
way to distribute news in German from the Ecumenical Center. In
addition, cooperation would be enhanced between ENI and lwi including a
further study on the complementarity of the two services.

Earlier during its meeting, the Program Committee had received the ENI
evaluation conducted in April 1999 and affirmed the commitment of the
Federation towards ecumenical endeavor. Also shared in the committee
were the ENI statutes, which were acknowledged as a basis for the
further development of ENI.

Issues presented by the committee for the Council's discussion included
the initiation of a process to evaluate lwi taking into account such
criteria as categories of recipients, content, sources, format, costs,
service to the Lutheran identity and cooperation with ecumenical
partners. On the Comprehensive Communication Policy (CCP) which had been
discussed under a joint session with the Program Committee for Mission
and Development (DMD), the OCS committee reported it had received an
interim report on a CCP for the LWF composed of three sections, namely
"Common Understandings", "Communication and LWF member churches" and
"Communication and LWF Geneva".

Brought before the Council for action by the Standing Committee for
International Affairs and Human Rights were issues of concern in
Israel/Palestine, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, India, Indonesia
and East Timor. The Council reiterated the Federation's vision of
Jerusalem as a city of two peoples - Israelis and Palestinians - and
three faiths - Christianity, Judaism and Islam - and renewed its call
for an end to the measures designed to alter the region's demographic
realities for political purposes, including the establishment and
expansion of Israeli settlements and the withdrawal of residency rights
for Palestinians.  The LWF called upon the Israeli government to end
inequity and discriminatory processes with regard to access to water
sources and economic opportunity. Both the Israeli and Palestinian
governments were urged to take all possible steps to promote equitable
development for the Palestinian people. The LWF called upon the
Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to ensure that the
religious communities enjoy their full freedoms of worship and religion
as their civil and historical rights. The LWF again urged the
governments of both countries to respond to the Kairos of the Great
Jubilee in the year 2000, with new and concrete acts of peace, justice
and reconciliation. LWF member churches were asked to communicate with
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and other ecumenical partners
with regard to their plans for celebrating the 2000th anniversary "of
the birth of Christ in the land of His birth."

Through its Council meeting, the LWF expressed support for the work of
the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as it
takes steps to bring to justice those responsible for war crimes and
crimes against humanity. All LWF member churches were urged to express
concern to their governments about the adverse humanitarian effects of
the NATO intervention and the proposed moratorium on reconstruction
assistance to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The LWF general
secretary was asked to institute a process of inter-departmental
reflection on the theological and ethical implications of the concept of
armed intervention to defend human rights such as in the NATO case.

Other actions by the Council included a call on the international
community to urgently provide immediate humanitarian aid, reconstruction
and rehabilitation assistance to alleviate the suffering of the people
of Yugoslavia including Kosovo. Expressing gratitude to neighboring and
other countries, which have generously opened their doors to refugees
from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Council called for
attention to the adverse economic impact, which this conflict has had on
neighboring states.

Through other actions by the Council, the LWF declared its solidarity
with the victims of attacks targeted on Christian communities in India,
and with the churches as they continue their dialogue with other
religious communities and the government with the aim of improving the
inter-religious climate in the country.

It was with "thanksgiving" that the LWF Council expressed the
Federation's solidarity with churches and the people of Indonesia in the
midst of the changing political, economic and social context.  LWF
member churches were urged to support in prayer and in material ways the
activities of the churches in that country as they seek to reduce
religious tensions and promote reconciliation within their society.

The Council expressed support for East Timor's religious leaders who
have been working for an impartial and free expression of their people's
will. As it encouraged its member churches to engage in ecumenical
initiatives for the promotion of a democratic and just resolution of the
status of East Timor, the LWF Council expressed its hope that the
Indonesian government will take steps to ensure a peaceful balloting
process.

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