wfn.org | Namibian churches, State President urge Angolan parties to end war

[franki@elca.org]

RUNDU, Namibia/GENEVA, 15 September 2000 (LWI) - Churches in Namibia
have urged parties engaged in the Angolan civil war to come to the
negotiating table and end the 25-year-old conflict.

At an ecumenical prayer service, August 27, organized by the
churches' umbrella body, the Council of Churches in Namibia (CCN) in
the Namibia-Angola border town of Rundu, church leaders appealed for
prayers for the residents of the northeastern part of the country,
who are suffering as a result of the fighting.

Both Rev. Nangula E. Kathindi from the Anglican church and Catholic
Archbishop B. Haushiku, general secretary and president of the CCN
respectively, emphasized that the Angolan crisis cannot be settled by
the barrel of the gun.

Rev. Kathindi told the gathering: "It pains us to hear about
landmines which are planted in our communities and even in churches.
We are deeply hurt by the abductions of people, rape of women,
including little girls. We are horrified by the loss of limbs and
destruction of property, and loss of our children, mothers and
fathers. This is a hopeless situation and it is painful," she said.

A bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (ELCIN),
Apollos Kaulinge, brought a message of encouragement and hope. "God
wants us to enjoy peace and live in security. Anyone, who disturbs
our peace stands condemned by us in no uncertain terms," he said.

In a message read by his political affairs advisor, Namibian
President, Dr. Sam Nujoma, appealed to churches, local communities
traditional and government leaders to act in unity and consult on
ways to bring to an end the senseless deaths and injuries of local
populations as a result of the war. The conflict between the MPLA
(Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) government and the
rebel Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) has resulted
in the death of an estimated one million people and displacement of
millions more.

The bishop of the German Lutheran Church in Namibia (GELC), Reinhard
Keding, in a message presented on his behalf by Rev. Erich Rust,
expressed solidarity in thoughts and prayers with the people of the
Kavango region.

A symbolic gesture at the service was the lighting of a "peace
candle" by an Angolan soldier and a school principal, who each have
been maimed by landmines.

Prior to the Sunday event, the CCN church leaders visited the Rundu
hospital where they offered prayers. The men's ward had about a dozen
patients, victims of landmines planted recently in Namibia. One mine
had been placed inside a Roman Catholic church, injuring a
worshipper.

The CCN has 12 full members, including the Roman Catholic church and
one observer member. About half of Namibia's population of 1.6
million people is Lutheran.

(Lillian Moir, communication consultant, CCN, provided material for
this article.)

(The LWF is a global communion of 131 member churches in 72 countries
representing over 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
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Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
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