09013
January 8, 2009
WARC issues call to prayer and action for Gaza
Kirkpatrick and Nyomi: ‘none of the violence is acceptable'
LOUISVILLE ― Leaders of the Geneva-based World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) have called upon member churches to pray for an immediate cease-fire and for “a lasting peace with justice in this region...”
“None of the violence is acceptable,” said WARC President Clifton Kirkpatrick of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and WARC General Secretary Setri Nyomi ― a Ghanaian Presbyterian ― in their Jan. 7 statement, entitled “A Call to Prayer and Action to End the Violence in Gaza.”
The full text of the statement:
As the number of deaths in Gaza continue to rise, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches calls upon its member churches to be in prayer for those who suffer because of this violence and conflict and for a lasting peace with justice in this region of the world. We also call upon all parties involved in the fighting to bring an end to the violence and to agree to an immediate cease-fire. The borders of Gaza must be opened, and soon, to humanitarian aid and desperately needed medical assistance for the sick and wounded. To this end, it is imperative that the United Nations and the international community press the warring parties to bring an end to the violence.
None of the violence is acceptable. The rockets from Gaza aimed at Israeli communities are destructive and the suicide bombing incidents cannot be condoned – They constitute a violation of the sanctity of life. We strongly condemn the air and ground assaults from the Israeli Defence Forces leading to senseless deaths and injury to hundreds of people. These must end immediately.
While every effort must be made to bring an end to the immediate hostilities, we must also recognize that this violence in Gaza is only one symptom of the decades-long failure of the international community, the Israeli government and the leadership of the Palestinian community to achieve a just and lasting peace that ensures the security, well-being, and self-determination for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. As has been said often, peace is not only the absence of violence but also the presence of justice. We must all pray and work for an end to blockades, illegal settlements, suicide bombings, walls of separation, and all other conditions of oppression that prevent people in Palestine and Israel from experiencing the life in fullness that God intends for all.
We yearn for an end to 60 years of uncertainty, violence and oppression, all of which have left their scars on all parties regardless of ethnic, religious or political identification. It is our fervent prayer for an end to this current violence in Gaza, recognizing that no real peace can be the issue of a cease-fire that is not followed by new determination by all parties that it is time for genuine commitment to a just peace.
We call on all our member churches to pray for all those who have been affected by these callous developments and engage in actions to stop the carnage and build a just and lasting peace.
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