News
In a letter to the Bishop of Copenhagen, Peter Skov Jakobsen, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has expressed his deep concern on the acts of terror that have hit the Nordic countries again. “You and your people are in my and our prayers these days. Your church has a strong voice for justice and for peace, for living together in the mystery and gift of creation as human beings,” he writes.
“The Church has a special calling to show that this unity of humanity is real; in addition, I know and trust that you and your church are among the strongest voices for basic solidarity with the victims and all those affected by these criminal acts. I am also encouraged to hear the solidarity expressed with all those Muslims who might feel stigmatized after events such as this,” continues the message of solidarity sent to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark (ELCD) following the 14 and 15 February attacks in Copenhagen.
Tveit underlined a particular concern in his letter: “I am particularly concerned that our Jewish sisters and brothers have been the targets of terror and violence in these attacks. They belong to and have their place in our societies, historically, now and in the future. I know how the Jewish community and its leaders and members have contributed to society and public life in your country. The attack on them is an attack on the whole society.”
Tveit added: “As you and your country are so close in geography, culture, history and church life to my own Norway, and the Jewish communities in our countries are so close to one another, I want to express how this also affects me in a personal way.”
The letter from the WCC general secretary to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark
News release from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark
