wfn.org | LWF Mourns Slain Christian Worshipers in Pakistan

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Noko Encourages Churches, Mosques to Promote Mutual Respect

GENEVA, 30 October 2001 (LWI) - Condemning the October 28 attack in
Bahawalpur, eastern Pakistan in which Christian worshipers and a
Muslim police guard were shot dead by gunmen, the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) has called for a rejection of all efforts to portray
current events in Afghanistan as " a religious war."

In a letter sent today to Dr. Victor Azariah, General Secretary,
National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP), LWF General
Secretary Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko urges churches and mosques in
Pakistan and around the world to determinedly promote mutual respect
among the religious communities in order to prevent the distortion of
"our respective faith traditions by those whose purpose is division
and violence."

"We pray for the healing of the wounded and traumatized, and for the
healing of a community torn apart by these events," says Noko.

The full text of the letter to the NCCP general secretary follows:

Dr Victor Azariah
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in
Pakistan

30 October 2001

Dear Brother in Christ,

The Lutheran World Federation condemns the attack that took place in
Bahawalpur on 28 October 2001 as a violation of the most basic
principles of humanity and of the precepts of Christianity and Islam
alike. We grieve with the bereaved families for the precious lives
lost in this atrocity - those of the worshipers slain inside the
church and that of the Muslim police guard killed as he sought to
protect them. We pray for healing for the wounded and traumatized,
and for the healing of a community torn apart by these events. And we
pray that you and all church leaders in Pakistan will be given
strength and wisdom for the pastoral role you must now play in the
aftermath of such a tragedy.

May the Spirit of compassion and forgiveness guide you and those to
whom you minister, responding to hatred with love and to violence
with peace, and denying victory to those who through such acts seek
to create conflict among Muslims and Christians.

For the human race to truly become a human family, there is no
alternative to continued and deepened dialogue among religions. With
the images of horror still fresh in your and our recollections,
churches and mosques - in Pakistan and around the world - must all
the more determinedly promote mutual respect among the religious
communities as a means of preventing the distortion of our respective
faith traditions by those whose purpose is division and violence. And
we must resolutely reject all efforts to portray current events in
Afghanistan, irrespective of whether we view them as just or unjust,
as a religious war.

I pray that with the Muslim brothers and sisters who have joined the
Christian communities of Pakistan in denouncing the terrible attack
in Bahawalpur and mourning its victims, you will continue to be
steadfast prophets for peace and justice, and against the abhorrent
creed of violence.

Yours in Christ,

Ishmael Noko
General Secretary

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 133
member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5 million of the
64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. 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
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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