Assisi: Lutheran leaders comment

Among the 170 representatives of world religions that attended the Day of Reflection and Prayer for Peace in Assisi were Bishop Munib Younnan of the Lutheran church in Jordan and the Holy Land who's also President of the Lutheran World Federation and Martin Junge General Secretary of the Federation. Philippa Hitchen caught up with both of them towards the end of the Assisi gathering and asked them for their assessment of the event and what it can achieve.

Bishop Younan believes it's "essential that religious leaders meet and goes on to say "we notice that the world is much more divided" than 25 years ago and that's why it's important "to revive our commitment to justice and peace." Referring to the situation in the Holy Land and the contested question of Jerusalem, Bishop Younan describes the holy city as "the Mother of justice and peace" and says "there won't be peace in the Middle East or in the world if there isn't peace and justice in Jerusalem."

Asked for his assessment of the Assisi event, Martin Junge says "we shouldn't see what we are doing here in isolation of what people on the ground, motivated by faith, are doing" ... to promote justice and peace."

Listen to the full interview with Bishop Munib Younan and Martin Junge: