wfn.org | Palestinian Lutheran Bishop Receives Finnish Peace Prize

[franki@elca.org]

Award Highlights Need for Peace, a Just Reconciliation 

GENEVA 8 January 2001 (LWI) - Palestinian Lutheran Bishop Munib A. Younan
has received the Finnish Peace Prize for the year 2001.

The Christian Peace Movement of Finland gave the honorary prize to Bishop
Younan in recognition of his efforts to promote peace, coexistence and
dialogue among the three monotheistic religions [Christianity, Judaism and
Islam] in the Holy Land, the Middle East and all over the world.

Bishop Younan described the award as an honor firstly to his church, the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ), secondly to the Palestinian
people and lastly to his family and to him individually. He pledged
continued commitment to peace work.

The 3,000-member ELCJ has congregations in Jerusalem, Palestine and Jordan. 

Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF), said awarding the Finnish prize to Bishop Younan "highlights the need
for peace and a just reconciliation in a land that is experiencing so much
pain, mourning, yet hopes for a better future."

This exemplary honor, Noko said, affirms the ELCJ's and Bishop Younan's role
in the search for peace in the Middle East. "It is also an invitation to
offer prayers for the positive developments and initiatives unfolding in
Palestine and Israel."

Inaugurated in 1982 by the Christian Peace Movement of Finland, the Finnish
Peace Prize is awarded annually to individuals and organizations that have
been actively involved in promoting just peace, coexistence and dialogue.
The movement is an ecumenical body that was founded in 1976 by a group of
Christians drawn from the Finnish Lutheran, Roman-Catholic and Free
churches.

(The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a global communion of 131 member
churches in 72 countries representing over 60 million of the world's 63.8
million Lutherans. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of
common interest such as ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission
and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the 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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