PALESTINE LETTER

At an International Peace Consultation on June 20, the National Coalition of Christian Organizations in Palestine issued on open letter to the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the ecumenical movement, stating ‘There is still no justice in our land’.

In today’s Palestine, discrimination and inequality, military occupation and systematic oppression are the rule, the letter states: “Today, we stand in front of an impasse and we have reached a deadlock. Despite all the promises, endless summits, UN resolutions, religious and lay leader’s callings – Palestinians are still yearning for their freedom and independence, and seeking justice and equality.”

The coalition expressed its concern with Israel’s ‘systemic assault on Palestinian creative resistance’, and with the fact that religious extremism is on the rise, with religious minorities paying a heavy price.

The letter also thanks churches for their efforts toward refugees and toward ending the conflicts in the region. (WCC)

RAINFOREST CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

Religious and indigenous leaders from all corners of the globe have launched an unprecedented initiative they say will bring needed moral attention and spiritual commitment to bear on global efforts to end deforestation and protect the tropical rainforests.

It marks the first time religious leaders from a broad spectrum of faiths –Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist –will work hand-in-hand with indigenous peoples to call upon and activate billions of people of faith worldwide to stand up for rainforests.

Tropical rainforests in South America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are falling rapidly due to a range of forces, including palm oil plantations, cattle, soy and crop production, and rapacious and often illegal mining and logging operations. The losses amount to an area the size of Austria each year.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said: “We must use the knowledge of what is good and our faith-driven action to protect and care for the rainforests and therefore the earth and all life”. (WCC)

HISTORIC SOUTH AFRICA MEETING

For the World Council of Churches Comission on Faith and Order, meeting in South Africa this year holds special significance. In 1960 a WCC meeting with member churches in the country was followed by a parting of ways with one of those churches for more than half a century, over the question of apartheid.

But this year the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC), which left the WCC in 1961 due to criticism for its role in supporting South Africa’s apartheid policy, hosted the June 15-22 meeting at the Emseni Christian Centre, near Pretoria. (WCC)

ERITREA ARRESTS

Over 120 Eritrean Christians were arrested between the beginning of May and mid- June, according to charities Open Doors and Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

Evangelicals and Pentecostals have been at particular risk in Eritrea since a 2002 law was passed prohibiting Christian practice outside the Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran denominations, and also Sunni Islam.

The fresh wave of arrests began in the days leading up to Eritrea’s Independence Day, May 24. Many Christians find themselves under added scrutiny around the time of Independence Day celebrations because they are reluctant to participate in ceremonies that go against their conscience.

Sources explain that, depending on the prison head at each location, prisoners are asked to sign one of two agreements. Either they promise not to engage in unlicensed religious activities, which many are happy to sign, or they are asked to renounce their allegiance to Christ. Those who refuse to sign can be held for years, even decades. (World Watch Monitor)

REFUGEES DEAL WARNING

New deals aimed at reducing the number of migrants reaching Europe’s shores could endanger the lives of people fleeing religious persecution, the European Evangelical Alliance (EEA) has warned.

The Partnership Framework on Migration was launched last year as the European Commission’s response to member states’ requests for a strategic approach to migration. The framework, or compact, aims to reduce the number of migrants seeking to settle in Europe, reduce the number of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, and to combat the thriving human trafficking trade.

However the EEA said it had “many human rights concerns” about such frameworks. “People persecuted for their religion or belief, or [who] may have changed religion or belief as migrants in Europe, could be stuck or sent back to places known for their poor human rights records,” the group warned. Such destinations could also be ‘particularly dangerous when it comes to freedom of religion or belief’, it added. (World Watch Monitor)

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