05257
May 12, 2005

Church peacemakers meeting at military resort

Greek hosts known for harsh treatment
of conscientious objectors

by Stephen Brown  
Ecumenical News International

ATHENS, Greece — A global church gathering on reconciliation is meeting at an army holiday resort in Greece, a country Amnesty International has criticized for its harsh treatment of conscientious objectors. But a prominent Christian campaigner for non-violence is happy about the choice.

     “It’s not for the churches to turn away and close their eyes, it is the mission of the church to be in the world and witness there,” said Fernando Enns, a Mennonite theologian from Germany who has been involved in the Decade to Overcome Violence (2001-2010) project of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

     “Maybe this is the best way we can use military sites,” Enns told journalists after making a presentation on the anti-violence decade during the WCC-organized Conference on World Mission and Evangelism.

     The holiday center for army officers belongs to the Greek defence ministry. The more than 500 participants at the WCC meeting are greeted daily by soldiers in camouflage fatigues. The clatter of helicopters from nearby military installations hovering overhead breaks the silence in a tent set aside by conference organizers for worship.

     On May 12, Amnesty International said Greek law is “clearly discriminatory against conscientious objectors to military service,” and urged Greek authorities to end “repeated prosecutions against individual conscientious objectors.”

     Enns’ Mennonite denomination is a Christian group with a strong pacifist tradition. He acknowledged that he thought carefully about whether the meeting should take place at the site. But, he said, “The best thing you can do as peacemakers is to go where the army is and worship there.”

     One aim of the Decade to Overcome Violence is to promote churches’ work for peace, justice, and reconciliation.

“It has already created awareness first of all of the culture of violence we live in,” Enns told Ecumenical News International. “Peace-building and overcoming violence are at the heart of the gospel message.”

     The theme of the eight-day WCC meeting in Athens is: “Come, Holy Spirit, heal and reconcile: Called in Christ to be reconciling and healing communities.”

     Organizers said the Agios Andreas recreational centre, which was the international press centre for the 2004 Olympics in Greece, offered the best facilities for the conference.