Christian Conference of Asia urge peace initiatives in Asia

(April 23, 2010) The 13th general assembly of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) ended in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Thursday with a call to “build communities of peace in Asia, irrespective of class, colour or creed.” In a statement, some 300 participants of the April 15-22 assembly also urged the main protagonists in the Korean War, which began 60 years ago, to scrap the armistice that ended the conflict and to replace it with an official peace treaty. Noting that some 2.5 million Koreans lost their lives in the war, the conference said that a “lack of peace has meant that North Korea suffers famine and acute poverty through ongoing sanctions. While calling on the United States and other countries to lift sanctions that prevent development and hurt the people most, the ecumenical body called the churches and national church councils to provide humanitarian aid to those suffering in North Korea. The CCA also expressed concern over tensions between India and Pakistan, “where people are not able to live in peace, hope and fullness due to the ongoing threat of an outbreak of hostilities.” The general assembly comprises representatives of the CCA’s more than 100 member churches in Asia and Oceania, and 20 national councils. The Armenian Orthodox Church of Iran and the National Council of Churches in Bhutan were among four new members of the assembly. The CCA’s supreme decision making body gathers every five years.