wfn.org | LWF rejects misuse of religious diversity for political reasons

[FRANK.IMHOFF@ecunet.org]

LWF COUNCIL MEETING, TURKU, FINLAND, 14-21 JUNE 2000
PRESS RELEASE NO. 14

TURKU, Finland/GENEVA, 21 June 2000 (LWI) - The Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) has reaffirmed its commitment to the promotion of
religious freedom as a fundamental human rights for all, and rejected
the misuse of religious diversity for political, military or other
purposes.

This was one of the recommendations of the LWF Council at its meeting in
Turku from 14 to 21 June 2000. Brought before the governing body of the
Federation by its Standing Committee for International Affairs and Human
Rights (IAHR), the council action was an expression of the Federation's
great concern about the rising incidence of religious intolerance and
related violence in many places around the world in which the LWF member
churches are present. Of particular mention was India, Indonesia and
Palestine.

The Council deplored  instances of religious intolerance and associated
violence and welcomed the involvement of member churches in ecumenical
and interfaith initiatives to promote religious freedom for all.

The chairperson of the IAHR Standing Committee Rev. Thorbjoern Arnason
told the Council that following a request from the LWF's Ninth Assembly,
reports have been received about the churches' involvement in promoting
and defending religious freedom.

However, in order to obtain a more comprehensive range of responses, the
Council renewed and extended the invitation to member churches and other
expressions of the LWF to provide additional information to the General
Secretary on their involvement in promoting and defending religious
freedom. The Council will consider action on such information at its
next meeting.

The Council encouraged each member church and other expressions of the
Federation to acquaint themselves with the United Nations and regional
human rights mechanisms for the promotion of religious freedom,
including the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on religious
intolerance. The General Secretary was requested to provide appropriate
materials to assist in this process.

Regarding the situation in the Middle East, the LWF Council affirmed the
fundamental human right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their
places of origin, and referred to the fact that this has been also
repeatedly expressed through the UN Security Council and Commission on
Human Rights. In taking this action, the Council noted the latest
developments in the region, including the Israeli withdrawal from South
Lebanon, and the possible impact these developments would have on the
negotiations on the final status of Palestine later this year.

The Council urged the Palestinian Authority to urgently finalize the
Constitution for the future State of Palestine, including adequate
guarantees of religious freedom and pluralism; called upon both parties
to fully comply with their respective commitments contained in the Oslo
Agreements, including that of Israel to release all Palestinian
political prisoners; and expressed its grave concern at the rapid
increase over the past year in the rate of settlement expansion in the
Occupied Territories.

At its Council meeting in Bratislava, Slovak Republic in 1999, the LWF
had reiterated its vision of Jerusalem as a city of two peoples -
Israelis and Palestinians - and three faiths - Christianity, Judaism and
Islam. On that occasion, the Federation 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 Council also received for information the compilation of major
public statements, letters and documents issued by the LWF on
international affairs and human rights from June 1999 to May 2000.

(The LWF is a global communion of 128 member churches in 70 countries
representing 59 million of the world's 63 million Lutherans. Its highest
decision making body is the Assembly, held every six or seven years.
Between Assemblies, the LWF is governed by a 49-member Council which
meets annually, and its Executive Committee. The LWF secretariat is
located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material
presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its
various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

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