(Vatican Radio) An urgent appeal for an end to the violence in Syria has been made
by the Global Christian Forum, a broad ecumenical network of Christian churches, communities
and movements which met earlier this month in Amman, Jordan. A statement issued
at the end of the meeting called for a rejection of all forms of extremism and enmity,
for stepped up efforts to aid refugees and all victims of violence in the Middle East
and for Christians themselves - despite the plurality and variety of churches - to
stand united in their witness to peace and justice in the region. Bishop Brian
Farrell is secretary of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity which follows closely
the work of the Global Christian Forum. He’s also a friend of the two kidnapped Syrian
Orthodox bishops, whose suffering he describes as a dramatic symbol of the difficulties
facing all Christians in the Middle East today. He talked to Philippa Hitchen about
how the plight of the ancient churches in this region is obliging them to reach out
across their denominational divisions…
Listen:
"The Global
Christian Forum, in simple terms, is an effort to bring into ecumenical contacts and
conversations the newer Pentecostal and Evangelical churches which have traditionally
avoided being part of the ecumenical movement.
They are full of dynamic enthusiasm
and grow enormously, so that now we’re talking about something like 500 million Christians
who belong to these new religious groups. The question is for us to understand them,
so our Council has been in dialogue for many years with some parts of these groups,
including Pentecostals and Charismatics and so on…..we have made some good progress
and we have agreed on ways in which we can help each other to overcome the conflict
situations that arise in different parts of the world between Catholics and these
other communities…
In the last 30 or 40 years many of these groups have made
a huge effort to be present and are growing in parts of the Middle East….it’s rather
difficult and we understand that Christians in the Middle East have been the way they
are for so many centuries, so for them the presence of these newer groups is a mystery
they don’t understand so well, but there is a huge effort now to understand why they
are present, what they are doing and how they intend to be part of the Christian presence
in these countries….
One of the positive things about the Global Christian
Forum has been that organizing this meeting in the Middle East they have brought together
a much wider spectrum of Christian churches and communities than normally happens
so here now we have, I would hope, the beginnings of all Christians standing together
in the difficulties, almost the persecution in some cases, that they are undergoing
and that in itself is important…our weakness has always been that we were divided..
Our
Pontifical Council has been saddened by the news of the kidnapping of the two Metropolitans
that we know very well, Archbishop Gregorios (Yohanna Ibrahim) was here at the Synod
of Bishops on the Middle East, Metropolitan Yazigi visited our Council so often and
has been part of a collaborative effort with students from the Middle East who need
to come and study…it’s almost a symbol of what is happening to all of the Christian
communities in the Middle East ..
As the Holy Father said – this is an urgent
call for us to do everything possible first of all through our prayer and spiritual
solidarity but also in every other way we can to make the presence of Christians in
the Middle East a secure part of the future. The problem is that the interests of
the international community don’t coincide with the interest of the Christian communities
there so in a sense they are abandoned and left to themselves…
We are still
learning how to work together from a past in which we often worked against each other,
we are learning to work together and please God, this will advance quickly."
Please
find below the full statement from the Global Christian Forum: As participants
in the Global Christian Forum meeting held in Amman (8-9 April 2012) — bishops, priests,
pastors, and lay people from all traditions of the Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant,
and Evangelical churches in the Middle East — we have exchanged perspectives on the
situations of our churches. We have discussed promoting inter--Christian relationships
as well as relationships with the co--citizens of our countries with whom we share
the present, the future, and the same fate. We have considered at length the current
critical situation in our region, with the imminent dangers that are threatening our
people. We were particularly appalled by the horrific and bloody violence in Syria,
the destruction, the displacement, and the dire circumstances of the victims of such
violence. We were also deeply concerned about the recent events in Egypt, with all
their repugnant sectarian tensions and undesirable consequences.
- We raise
our voice and call upon our churches, church leaders and lay people to demonstrate
the highest degree of wisdom and awareness during this difficult time, to remain rooted
in faith, steadfast in hope, and established in love in order to overcome this critical
period.
- We proclaim our solidarity with every human being who has suffered
and suffers from political and social instability caused by violence, regardless of
their religious, ethnic, social, and political identity. We call upon our brothers,
sisters, and co--‐‑citizens to reject all forms of extremism and enmity, and to return
to our shared human and spiritual values. We promise to strive firmly and to the limits
of our capacity to lessen the agony of victims, to provide the aid needed for refugees
inside and outside their homeland, as well as to support those in need, in cooperation
with all components of society, particularly specialized governmental and non--governmental
organizations.
- We urge those in charge to provide more efforts to insure
the continuity of Christian presence in the Middle East by helping and encouraging
people to remain in their own lands.
- We call upon the Global Christian Forum
to show solidarity with Middle Eastern people in this critical period, by supporting
their just causes, sounding the call to defend the victims and the oppressed, and
contributing with all spiritual, moral, and financial means to help them remain in
their own lands.
- We urge the churches and Christian communities participating
in the Global Christian Forum to implore their societies, governments, institutions,
and international assemblies to support Christian presence in the Middle East in partnership
with other religions, to work to achieve full citizenship with equal rights and duties
among all people, in accordance with international treaties and agreements, and within
the framework of fair laws and truly modern democratic systems.
- Finally,
we call upon the Christians of the Middle East to stand together as witnesses of the
one Gospel — despite the plurality and variety of churches — and to fulfill their
calling in this Middle East. Unity in plurality must be a distinctive mark of our
Christian life and purpose. We plead to God for peace, justice, and stability in our
world, especially in the Middle East, and we pray that Christians will remain in it
as a living testimony for Christ, the One who is victorious over death