wfn.org | LWF Council Adopts Statement on September 11

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

LWF Council Meeting, Wittenberg, Germany, 10-17 September 2002

Press Release No. 9

In a statement on the occasion of the first anniversary of the
September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States of America,
the Council of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) said dialogue
among peoples, cultures and religions "is both the means and
objective of a genuine and effective response to terrorism."

Isolation and domination "is clearly not the answer" and military
means will not provide the security that we seek," LWF Council
members said in the statement that was unanimously adopted. They
stressed that it is only through mutual understanding and
solidarity, including active efforts to address social and
economic inequities, that the root causes of terrorism can be
removed.

The full text of the statement by the LWF Council follows:

Statement of the Council of the Lutheran World Federation on the
occasion of the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks on
the United States of America

11 September 2002

On this day, as we meet in Lutherstadt Wittenberg - the historic
home of the tradition that binds us together as a worldwide
communion of Lutheran churches - we remember the events of one
year ago. We remember the thousands of people * of many different
nationalities * who were killed or injured, the families who lost
loved ones, the communities that on that day lost the sense of
security they had until then enjoyed, and the heavy burden of
moral leadership that has falln especiallyupon our sister churches
in the United States of America in these difficult times.

One year later, after the international military intervention in
Afghanistan that removed a particularly oppressive regime and yet
also caused much innocent suffering, and amid an increasing debate
about the next steps in the proclaimed 'war against terrorism',
there is a sense that the consequences of the events of 11
September 2001 are only just beginning to be played out. The
nature of those consequences remains deeply uncertain.

As a communion of churches, we believe that our security and hope
are grounded in the Triune God who creates, reconciles and
sustains all life. Violence, in its many manifestations, is one of
the signs of our broken relationship with God. We are called to
repent, to turn away from violence and back to God. Reconciled
with God and one another, we are called to seek reconciliation,
and work together with those of other faiths for peace and justice
in the world.

The events of September 11 were a dramatic reminder that there is
no certain security in the symbols of economic and military power.
The root of global insecurity lies not in the absence of economic
and military might, but in unresolved hatreds, unaddressed
alienation and economic and social inequities. The effort to
combat terrorism cannot succeed, even within its own limited terms
of reference, unless these hatreds are transformed, that
alienation assuaged, and progress towards economic and social
justice made.

Terrorism is a manifestation of evil in our world. The acts that
were perpetrated on 11 September 2001, like other acts of
indiscriminate violence against civilians, are expressions of an
absence of respect for the most basic principles of human rights,
morality and religion. No authentic religious doctrine supports
such acts, and no political cause can justify them. Governments
have a responsibility to protect innocent people from such
indiscriminate violence, and to restore a sense of security to all
our chilren.

But iolation and domination is clearly not the answer, and
military means will not provide the security that we seek. Any
belief to the contrary represents a failure to learn the key
lesson of 11 September * that economic and military might is
unable to guarantee human security against those filled with hate
or alienated by injustice, real or perceived. Military
intervention is more likely to worsen than to alleviate hatred and
alienation.

Dialogue among peoples, cultures and religions is both the means
and the objective of a genuine and effective response to
terrorism. It is only through mutual understanding and solidarity,
including active efforts to address social and economic
inequities, that the root causes of terrorism can be removed.
Through such means we can contribute to an 'axis of hope'.

It would be the worst disservice to the memory of those who died
in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania for the freedoms and
sense of common humanity at which terrorism strikes to be
sacrificed in pursuit of military and political objectives.

On this anniversary of the attacks that transfixed the world, our
prayer is that community and compassion will provide the guiding
principles for the response to terrorism. Violence begets
violence. That is, in fact, what the terrorist attacks sought to
promote. We re-commit ourselves to breaking this cycle of
violence, to counter religious and political extremism, and to
work for justice and reconciliation in our world. We pray for
peace.

Staff of the LWF Office for Communication Services at the Council
meeting can be contacted at German mobile telephone No., +49-(0)
170-8345 177.

(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 61.7
million of the 65.4 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, ommunication, 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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