Lutheran President calls for bridges of understanding
-14/9/04
The President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has called on Christians and leaders from different faiths to build bridges of understanding between peoples, and to work together for peace and justice in the world.
"We should be united to give a message of reconciliation, healing and hope and to construct a society where there is peace and justice," the Lutheran leader affirmed in an inter-faith gathering for peace and non-violence held in San Salvador, 11 September, in the Episcopal San Juan Evangelista Church.
The event, convened by the National Council of Churches of El Salvador and the Communion of Lutheran Churches in Central America was attended by representatives from Jewish, Islamic and Baha'i communities, as well as from Lutheran, Episcopal, Calvinist Reform Churches and the Emmanuel Baptist Church. The mayor of San Salvador, Carlos Rivas Zamora, also attended as well as the auxiliary bishop of the diocese of San Salvador, Gregorio Rosa Chavez.
Leaders from different religious communities took part, reading texts from the Koran, the Baha'i writings, the Torah, and the Bible. Their prayers asked that peace, tolerance and understanding prevail in the world.
Hanson said that violence and terrorism spark a great deal of fear but "they do not have the last word." Our response to violence should not be to hide, he said. "We have the peace of God, the promise that He loves us and has mercy on us and even in the most difficult moments He is in our midst bringing life."
He called on Christians and those of other faiths to make their best contribution to ensure that there is peace and justice in the world. He made reference to Msgr. Oscar Romero, who was murdered in March 1980 for what he preached, and his struggle alongside the poor, and said, "He taught us the power of non-violence" to confront the institutionalized violence that condemned majority sectors of the population to greater poverty.
During his homily, the Lutheran leader emphasized the importance of dialogue and inter-religious cooperation. He lamented that Christians had frequently used Bible texts to justify the violence and hatred against Jews, and recalled that the ELCA in 1993 had rejected the anti-Semitic writing of the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther.
He also apologized to Muslims for all the accusations and offenses suffered by them after the events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States of America. All of these acts generate violence and we must keep hatred from expanding among the different sectors of our society for religious or other reasons, he said.
The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138 member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of nearly 65 million people.The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and development work.
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