Stop this insanity, say Australian church leaders
-13/08/06
In one of the strongest re
Stop this insanity, say Australian church leaders
-13/08/06
In one of the strongest responses yet issued from the international Christian community, senior Anglican, Catholic, Churches of Christ and Uniting Church (Methodist and Reformed) church leaders in the Australian capital territory, Canberra, have made a heartfelt plea for peace in the Middle East and for a re-ordering of global priorities on justice and sustainable life.
The statementís circulation coincides with the latest news ñ greeted with both hope and scepticism across the world ñ that a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah will now begin early on Monday, following negotiations galvanised by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
Deploring the actions of both the state of Israel and Hezbollah, the Christian leaders also highlight what they see as the inadequacy and wrong-headedness of Western responses, highlighting the challenge which Gospel values bring to a seemingly intractable conflict.
They write: ìDoes it not occur to the Government of Israel and the United States of America that the very possibility of a lasting, generational, peace is being made almost impossible while a new generation of youth are being accustomed to violence as a way of life.î
The appeal (set out in full below) also highlights the importance of the UN Millennium Development Goals and declares: ìWe have had enough of this so-called war on terror. When will the governments of the world come to understand that peace can only be built on justice and fairness?î
Echoing the predominant US policy line, Australian Prime Minister John Howard has meanwhile said that Hezbollah must be disarmed if the UN truce in Lebanon is to last.
Canberra Statement: If these were silent the Stones would shout out
We find it impossible to remain silent in the face of so much pain and suffering in the Middle East, both in Lebanon and in Israel, but we have been particularly outraged [by the news] of the deaths in the village of Cana [Qana].
Where is the moral courage of our leaders? How can the leadership of the Australian Government and the Opposition not cry out for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire?
We are outraged that such unspeakable pain is being unleashed upon civilians, especially women and children while the world remains largely silent.
Does it not occur to the Government of Israel and the United States of America that the very possibility of a lasting, generational, peace is being made almost impossible while a new generation of youth are being accustomed to violence as a way of life.
We deplore the violence of Hezbollah and we deplore the violence of the State of Israel.
We find it impossible to understand how the leaders of our own nation have remained so cowardly silent in the face of such brutality.
We have had enough of this so-called war on terror. When will the governments of the world come to understand that peace can only be built on justice and fairness?
We urge all governments of the world to invest in the [United Nations] millennium [development] goals as the road to peace and to immediately apply them for the peoples of the Middle East.
We can have no peace while violence is repaid with violence. It is a recipe for eventual annihilation.
May God have mercy upon us all and may there still remain, somewhere in that battered part of the world a seed which can one day grow into peace for the children who will soon become adults. May they not perpetuate the wrongs of the leadership of this generation.
Signed by:
Dr Kevin Bray, Churches of Christ in the ACT
Most Rev Pat Power, Auxiliary Bishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn
Rev Peter Walker, Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest
Right Rev George Browning, Anglican Bishop Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn
With thanks to Doug Hynd
Stop this insanity, say Australian church leaders
-13/08/06
In one of the strongest responses yet issued from the international Christian community, senior Anglican, Catholic, Churches of Christ and Uniting Church (Methodist and Reformed) church leaders in the Australian capital territory, Canberra, have made a heartfelt plea for peace in the Middle East and for a re-ordering of global priorities on justice and sustainable life.
The statementís circulation coincides with the latest news ñ greeted with both hope and scepticism across the world ñ that a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah will now begin early on Monday, following negotiations galvanised by the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan.
Deploring the actions of both the state of Israel and Hezbollah, the Christian leaders also highlight what they see as the inadequacy and wrong-headedness of Western responses, highlighting the challenge which Gospel values bring to a seemingly intractable conflict.
They write: ìDoes it not occur to the Government of Israel and the United States of America that the very possibility of a lasting, generational, peace is being made almost impossible while a new generation of youth are being accustomed to violence as a way of life.î
The appeal (set out in full below) also highlights the importance of the UN Millennium Development Goals and declares: ìWe have had enough of this so-called war on terror. When will the governments of the world come to understand that peace can only be built on justice and fairness?î
Echoing the predominant US policy line, Australian Prime Minister John Howard has meanwhile said that Hezbollah must be disarmed if the UN truce in Lebanon is to last.
Canberra Statement: If these were silent the Stones would shout out
We find it impossible to remain silent in the face of so much pain and suffering in the Middle East, both in Lebanon and in Israel, but we have been particularly outraged [by the news] of the deaths in the village of Cana [Qana].
Where is the moral courage of our leaders? How can the leadership of the Australian Government and the Opposition not cry out for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire?
We are outraged that such unspeakable pain is being unleashed upon civilians, especially women and children while the world remains largely silent.
Does it not occur to the Government of Israel and the United States of America that the very possibility of a lasting, generational, peace is being made almost impossible while a new generation of youth are being accustomed to violence as a way of life.
We deplore the violence of Hezbollah and we deplore the violence of the State of Israel.
We find it impossible to understand how the leaders of our own nation have remained so cowardly silent in the face of such brutality.
We have had enough of this so-called war on terror. When will the governments of the world come to understand that peace can only be built on justice and fairness?
We urge all governments of the world to invest in the [United Nations] millennium [development] goals as the road to peace and to immediately apply them for the peoples of the Middle East.
We can have no peace while violence is repaid with violence. It is a recipe for eventual annihilation.
May God have mercy upon us all and may there still remain, somewhere in that battered part of the world a seed which can one day grow into peace for the children who will soon become adults. May they not perpetuate the wrongs of the leadership of this generation.
Signed by:
Dr Kevin Bray, Churches of Christ in the ACT
Most Rev Pat Power, Auxiliary Bishop, Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn
Rev Peter Walker, Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest
Right Rev George Browning, Anglican Bishop Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn
With thanks to Doug Hynd