wfn.org | (LWF) LWF General Secretary Steps Up Appeal to

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

LWF Tenth Assembly, Winnipeg, Canada, 21-31 July 2003

PRESS RELEASE NO. 17

LWF General Secretary Steps Up Appeal to Canadian Officials
Noko Asks for Answers Regarding Allegations of Criminal Activity

WINNIPEG, Canada, 25 July 2003 - At a special press conference, the Rev. Dr.
Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF),
released a letter that he had just faxed to the Hon. Denis Coderre, Minister
for Citizenship and Immigration for Canada, requesting answers about the 50
individuals who were denied visas to attend the Tenth Assembly of the LWF.

Specifically Dr. Noko asked Coderre to respond to allegations,	reported in
the press as supposedly stemming from 'federal sources,' that the individuals
denied visas include "alleged murderers, embezzlers of church funds and other
criminals."  Noko wrote, "I ask you urgently to inform me if these reported
allegations are indeed emanating from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and
if they correctly represent the position of your Ministry."  

He concluded his letter, "I ask you to provide full particulars of the
allegations and the individuals concerned, so that they may have the
opportunity of responding so that those whose reputations have been damaged
by association may take the appropriate action."

In a letter dated July 7, but which Noko reported was received at the Geneva
Secretariat by fax on July 24, Coderre had responded to Noko's appeals
concerning the denied visas by clarifying Canada's visa policies in general
terms but never mentioning the possibility of any illegal activities on the
part of the applicants in question. Noko said, "That letter just didn't
corresond to the allegations and rumors we have heard."  He added, "I am just
seeking verification."

At the press conference, Noko acknowledged that at this half-way point in the
Assembly, there is little hope that the visas will be granted or that the
delegates will be able to travel.  However, said Noko, "We have a quorum, so
we can proceed with the business of the Assembly."

Nonetheless, the General Secretary stated, "We would like to find a way to
close this matter with the government of Canada.  It is a wound that should
be healed."  He lauded Canadian hospitality and said he hopes that Assembly
participants will go home as "good ambassadors for Canada."

The allegations of criminal and other illegal activity relate primarily to
the 26 delegates for India's poorest and most marginalized states. Others
denied visas also come from poorer nations including Bangladesh, Cameroon,
the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Liberia, Madagascar,
Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and South Africa.  

"Often," Noko said, pointing to the example of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Jordan/Palestine, "the small, suffering churches carry the cross
for the larger churches."

There was one bit of good news at the end of the press conference.  Karin
Achtelstetter, director of communications for the LWF, announced that one TV
journalist from Madagascar had been granted a visa and would arrive around
midnight tonight at the Winnipeg airport.

The Tenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is taking place
21-31 July 2003 in Winnipeg, Canada, under the theme "For the Healing of the
World." It is being hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
(ELCIC).

There are almost 800 men, women and youth participants in the Tenth Assembly
including 369 delegates from the 133 churches with full membership and three
associate members. The Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the
LWF, and meets normally every six years. Between Assemblies, the LWF is
governed by its Counil that meets annually, and by its Executive Committee. 

Further information including photos, video and audio news, is posted on the
Assembly Web site www.lwf-assembly.org

To order photographs, please contact LWF-Photo@lutheranworld.org

*	*	*

The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 136 member
churches in 76 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 and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission
and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.