Communion sends condolences, pledges prayer for Pakistan; Primate condemns violence, thanks Kenya’s leaders; First meeting of Anglican-Lutheran International Co-ordinating Committee
Communion sends condolences, pledges prayer for Pakistan
Provinces and dioceses from across the Communion have been sending their condolences to leaders of the Church of Pakistan, and pledging to pray for the Province this Sunday.
Over the last few days, messages from Anglicans and Episcopalians in countries including India, Scotland and Tanzania were sent to Peshawar Diocese’s Bishop Humprey Peters and to the Moderator of the Church of Pakistan, Bishop Samuel Azariah.
They came in response to Sunday’s suicide attack on All Saints’ Church, Peshawar, in which more than 80 men, women and children were killed, and around 200 were injured.
Prime Bishop of The Episcopal Church in the Philippines, the Most Revd Dr Edward Malecdan wrote that the Church there was “shocked and greatly appalled at the horrible attack”. He said that communities in the country’s southern City of Zamboanga had also suffered an attack that had resulted in “unnecessary loss of lives, injuries and displacement of families.
“In the midst of such aggression, we grieved with those affected,” he said, “and have expressed that there should be no end to peace-building as we called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.
“For the tragic assault on All Saints’ Anglican Church, we echo the same prayer and appeal for peace-building and understanding between diverse religious and ethnic communities in Pakistan.”
The Primate of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Bp David Chillingworth, wrote to convey the Church’s “deep sympathy and reassurance of [its] prayers”, as did several of its bishops. The leaders of the Church of North India condemned the attacks and said the Church was supporting Pakistan in prayer. They also called on the Government of Pakistan to bring the perpertrators to justice
There were also promises – from Church leaders in countries including Ireland; Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia; Papua New Guinea; South Sudan and Tanzania – that their Churches would pray for those affected this coming Sunday, as suggested in a letter to Primates from Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Canon Kenneth Kearon.
Since the attack there have been several protests in countries including India, the UK and the USA calling for greater protection of Christians in Pakistan. Yesterday, the Archbishop of Canterbury told the BBC that Christians were also being singled out for violence in a string of other countries.
Christian communities which have existed “in many cases since the days of Saint Paul” were now under threat in countries such as Syria and Egypt, he said.
Primate condemns violence, thanks Kenya’s leaders
The Primate of Kenya and Bishop of All Saints Cathedral, the Most Revd Dr Eliud Wabukala has condemned the “heinous and inhuman attacks on Kenyans and foreign residents” at the Westgate Mall in the country’s capital Nairobi.
In a press statement delivered to the media yesterday after the Anglican Church of Kenya Provincial Synod met to pray, reflect and deliberate on various issues affecting the Church and the nation, the Archbishop thanked the political leaders for “showing solidarity in adversity by relaying messages of hope to the nation in the midst of the crisis.”
“We in particular want to thank the President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta and other leaders for boldly condemning the terror attack and inspiring courage in Kenyans,” he said. “As a nation, we have embraced and drawn strength from each other in spite of our political and religious diversity.”
The Archbishop applauded the many Kenyans who gave their time and resources to assist in various ways including blood donation, giving financial support, and feeding the volunteers.
He also acknowledged and thanked those who shared warm words of encouragement and rallied each other to pray fervently for a speedy conclusion to the standoff.
Archbishop Wabukala extended his special thanks to the International community for standing in solidarity with Kenyans.
He also honoured the dedicated security personnel who “literally put their own lives on the line braving uncertainty and a long standoff to save fellow Kenyans.”
The multi-agency efforts to battle the terrorists were concluded after Kenya’s defence forces managed to subdue the terrorists on the morning of September 24, four days after the initial attack on September 21.
The Anglican Church of Kenya has promised to continue praying and giving pastoral support to all those affected by the tragedy and has encouraged Christians to participate in the National Day of Prayer to be held on October 1 in Kenya.
“It was encouraging to see the various agencies and organisations responding in record time to provide assistance to the hostages,” said the Abp Wabukala. “The unity, patriotism and faith displayed by Kenyans from all walks of life created an atmosphere of hope. It is our prayer that Kenyans will continue to invest in these actions of national unity as a valuable form of social capital.”
The Archbishop thanked Muslim leaders for unreservedly condemning the attack. “We call for continued Inter-Religious Dialogue on matters of national importance as all faiths lost members in the attack,” he said. “The terror attack is denting the perception of peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in this country.”
Al Shabab, a Somali terrorist group that describe itself as “waging jihad against the enemies of Islam”, was behind the attack in which up to 130 people were killed. Reports also suggest there may be more people buried under the rubble where part of the building collapsed.
First meeting of Anglican-Lutheran International Co-ordinating Committee
The Anglican-Lutheran International Co-ordinating Committee (ALICC) held its first meeting in the Cultural Centre Sofia, Helsinki, Finland from 19 to 25 September 2013, under the leadership of the Most Reverend Maurício Andrade, Primate of Brazil, and of Bishop Michael Pryse of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
The meeting was hosted by the Lutheran World Federation with the generous assistance of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
The Co-ordinating Committee studied the mandate given by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Anglican Communion. The focus of this work is to monitor and encourage existing Anglican-Lutheran relations, as well as to advance co-operation between the two Churches in areas where there are not yet any formal agreements. To enable the Committee to function as an encourager as well as a catalyst, the Committee has begun a process of mapping agreements, initiatives and projects in different regions. This mapping project is an ongoing task for the Committee and we urge Churches, in both communions, to provide information to further this task.
The Committee has also initiated a process promoting Anglican-Lutheran collaboration in the observance of the 2017 Reformation anniversary. As part of this the Committee intends to provide study material based around the official LWF theme Liberated by God’s Grace. This material would be designed to be used in joint Anglican-Lutheran study groups where both denominations are present as well as by separated groups. It is hoped that this material will relate to different ages and contexts. The purpose is to highlight that reformation is ongoing and that 16th century Reformation thoughts are relevant for Christians today. The Committee is locating this and all its work within the theological theme of communion in the mission of God.
The Diocese of Tampere and Bishop Matti Repo invited the Co-ordinating Committee to the Diocese on Sunday 22 September for worship and for sharing local Lutheran-Anglican initiatives. The Bishop and some of his clerical colleagues shared experiences of working together with their Anglican partner Diocese of Manchester (Church of England). The two dioceses have developed close co-operation in preparing youngsters for confirmation and in exploring urban theology. The Diocese of Tampere hosts an English-speaking international congregation in one of their churches and provides clergy to assist the Anglican Chaplaincy in Helsinki which oversees this ministry. The Committee is appreciative of the hospitality shown by Bishop Matti Repo and his wife, the Revd Päivi Repo, who provided fellowship and an excellent lunch.
Metropolitan Ambrosius, Orthodox Bishop of Helsinki, invited the Committee to his home, offering hospitality describing the current situation for the Orthodox Church in Finland and the work of the Sofia Centre.
Present at the first meeting of ALICC were:
Anglicans: The Most Revd Maurício Andrade, Brazil (Co-Chair) The Revd Dalcy Dlamini, Swaziland, Southern Africa The Rt Revd Dr Tim Harris, Australia The Revd Augusta Leung, Hong Kong The Revd Canon John Lindsay, Scotland The Revd Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan, Anglican Communion Office (Co-Secretary)
Lutherans: Bishop Michael Pryse, Canada (Co-Chair) Rev. Ángel Furlan, Argentina Rev. Joyceline Fred Njama, Tanzania Rev. Canon Helene Tärneberg Steed, Sweden and Ireland Rev. Anne Burghardt, Lutheran World Federation (Co-Secretary) Apology Bishop Philip Lok, Malaysia