Archbishop Welby: ‘Prayers, action needed for Syria’; Archbishops pledge solidarity with Christians in Egypt; Egypt needs peaceful and inclusive transformation, WCC leader; Anglican Alliance seeks new ‘dynamic, effective’ executive director; UN rights body questions Vatican over child abuse
Archbishop Welby: ‘Prayers, action needed for Syria’
[Lambeth Palace press release] The Archbishop of Canterbury said it is “absolutely clear” that Christians in Syria are being persecuted.
Archbishop Justin Welby has called for prayers and action to support persecuted Christians in Syria.
The Archbishop was speaking on Monday at a special meeting on Syria hosted by NGO Open Doors during General Synod in York.
As the situation reaches crisis point and thousands of Christians are forced to flee the country, Archbishop Justin highlighted the increasingly urgent need for prayer and backed a ‘Save Syria’ petition, which currently has over 30,000 signatures.
He said: ‘It’s absolutely clear that Christians in Syria are being persecuted, we know for example that in many areas of Aleppo, historic Christian areas since the first century, people are being chased out in large numbers. I would encourage people to pray very strongly, continue to pray and to support this kind of campaign and to write to MPs asking them to think very carefully about the wisdom of supplying further weapons to an area of such complex and extreme violence.”
Over 1.6m Syrians have become refugees since the conflict began in 2011, with this figure set to rise further. Open Doors have just published a report, ‘Syria: church on its knees’, which highlights reports of Christians being deliberately targeted in the country.
Such reports include the situation in a half-Christian, half-Muslim town, where the around 7,000 Christian families were told from the minarets to leave or be slaughtered one by one.
The Archbishop, who was invited by Open Doors to share his personal reflections from his recent visit to the region, spoke alongside Stephen Rand from Open Doors, Eliyana Francis from Middle East Concern, and the Syrian-born Revd Nadim Nassar.
They each emphasised the importance of raising awareness and support for suffering Christians in the Middle East within churches and communities across the UK.
Praising the work of Open Doors, the Archbishop said: ‘I am grateful to Open Doors who for over half a century have been doing this kind of work and have had a great influence in my own life since the early Eighties. I know this organisation has the utmost integrity and they do their research very carefully and well. I will commit to saying that when I see government figures I will share with them what I have said to you today.’
He also encouraged people to write to MPs and “ask them to think very carefully” before supplying weapons to the region.
The Archbishop was speaking on Monday at a special meeting on Syria hosted by NGO Open Doors during General Synod in York.
As the situation reaches crisis point and thousands of Christians are forced to flee the country, Archbishop Justin highlighted the increasingly urgent need for prayer and backed a ‘Save Syria’ petition, which currently has over 30,000 signatures.
He said: ‘It’s absolutely clear that Christians in Syria are being persecuted. We know for example that in many areas of Aleppo – historic Christian areas since the first century – people are being chased out in large numbers. I would encourage people to pray very strongly, continue to pray and to support this kind of campaign, and to write to MPs asking them to think very carefully about the wisdom of supplying further weapons to an area of such complex and extreme violence.”
Over 1.6m Syrians have become refugees since the conflict began in 2011, with the number set to rise further. Open Doors have this week launched a report which highlights evidence of Christians being deliberately targeted in the country.
Such reports include the situation in a half-Christian, half-Muslim town, where the around 7,000 Christian families were told from the minarets to leave or be slaughtered one by one.
The Archbishop, who was invited by Open Doors to share his personal reflections from his recent visit to the region, spoke alongside Stephen Rand from Open Doors, Eliyana Francis from Middle East Concern, and the Syrian-born Revd Nadim Nassar.
They each emphasised the importance of raising awareness and support for suffering Christians in the Middle East within churches and communities across the UK.
Praising the work of Open Doors, the Archbishop said: ‘I am grateful to Open Doors who for over half a century have been doing this kind of work and have had a great influence in my own life since the early Eighties. I know this organisation has the utmost integrity and they do their research very carefully and well. I will commit to saying that when I see government figures I will share with them what I have said to you today.’ More at –
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/07/11/archbishop-welby-prayers-action-needed-for-syria/
Archbishops pledge solidarity with Christians in Egypt
Following fresh turmoil in Egypt, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have sent a message of ‘committed solidarity’ to Pope Tawadros II and Bishop Mouneer in Cairo
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have joined the call for prayers for unity, reconciliation and an end to violence in Egypt.
Archbishop Justin Welby and Archbishop Dr John Sentamu wrote to the Coptic and Anglican leaders in Cairo today, pledging their ‘committed solidarity’ amid the recent turmoil in the country.
Writing to His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and to the Most Revd Mouneer Anis, the President-Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, the Archbishops said they had been ‘very mindful of recent developments taking place in Egypt’ as they presided over the Church of England’s General Synod in York last weekend. They added they were ‘very grateful’ for the presence of Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of The Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, who attended Synod as an ecumenical observer and spoke powerfully of the present situation in Egypt and his hopes for reconciliation. The Archbishops wrote: ‘As Presidents of the General Synod, we are sending this message of committed solidarity with you at this time. We join in the call to pray for Egypt for unity and reconciliation and the ending to all violence, praying that all parties may be able to work together for a common future.’ They added: ‘May the Lord grant you grace and strength in this ministry of reconciliation.’
See more at:
http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/5107/archbishops-pledge-solidarity-with-christians-in-egypt
Egypt needs peaceful and inclusive transformation, WCC leader
The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit encouraged peaceful and inclusive transformation in political systems in Egypt, while expressing “deep concern” over the escalation of violence in the country.
He shared these views in his letter to the WCC member churches in Egypt on 9 July.
With mass demonstrations before and after the ousting of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, several people have been killed and injured during the last few weeks, according to media reports.
Together with the WCC member churches in Egypt, Tveit said, “we are praying for a peaceful and inclusive transitional process, in which all parties will work together to form a government that will lead the country to stability, justice and peace,” said Tveit.
He added that the WCC strongly supports efforts of the churches in Egypt, working together with their Muslim partners, other political parties and civil society organizations, to facilitate peace building through a reconciliation and healing process on the national level.
“We are also confident that political and religious leaders in Egypt are aware that in critical historical moments of change and transformation in political systems, inclusive processes are vital for the unity of the nation,” Tveit stressed.
He also expressed confidence in the Egyptian people who are claiming dignity, freedom and equality as they seek peaceful ways to reach these common goals while respecting political and religious diversity.
Anglican Alliance seeks new ‘dynamic, effective’ executive director
Anglican Communion News Service – The Anglican Communion’s global platform supporting and co-ordinating Anglican and Episcopal humanitarian efforts worldwide is looking for a new executive director.
The Anglican Alliance – Relief, Development, Advocacy is an initiative of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion. Since its inception in 2011 it has worked with Anglicans and Episcopalians around the world to identify regional development and advocacy priorities and to co-ordinate relief responses in times of crisis.
Its staff in London, Brazil, Bangladesh, Kenya and Solomon Islands have also worked hard to develop good working relationships with ecumenical and other development partners.
The Anglican Alliance is advertising for an executive director after the current post-holder, Sally Keeble, decided not to seek renewal of her contract after three years in the role.
During her time – in collaboration with colleagues in Lambeth Palace and the Anglican Communion Office – the Anglican Alliance has gone from a start-up to a well-respected global platform with staff around the world.
Among the charity’s many success stories is the launch of a distance-learning course for Anglican Church development practitioners; several residential training courses for specialists from Commonwealth countries across the Anglican Communion; and impactful work with such bodies as the United Nations, the British Government and the G20.
According to the job advertisement the Anglican Alliance is looking for a “dynamic and effective executive director to carry forward its mission to bring together the Anglican community to overcome poverty and injustice”. More at
UN rights body questions Vatican over child abuse
Irish Times – A United Nations human rights panel has posed a list of tough questions to the Vatican about child abuse by Catholic priests, a potential embarrassment for Pope Francis a few months into his papacy.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) asked for “detailed information on all cases of child sexual abuse committed by members of the clergy, brothers or nuns” since the Holy See last reported to it some 15 years ago, and set November 1st as a deadline for a reply.
The request was included in a “list of issues”, posted on the CRC’s website, to be taken up when the Vatican appears before it next January to report on the Church’s performance under the 1990 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. More at –