Document
Geneva 20 December 2011
Mgr Sandra Silná
General Secretary Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic
Donská 5
101 00 Praha 10
Czech Republic
Dear Sandra,
We received with deep sorrow the news of the death of Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, well-known also as writer, visionary and anti-communist dissident.
Vaclav Havel has been one of the strong leaders in Europe during the past decades. He showed that it is possible to develop justice in a peaceful way, to work towards democracy and for a life together between nations cultivating the values we want to share as human beings, the values of each woman’s and each man’s dignity, the value of shared responsibility for all of us and for the future in the context in which we live.
For Europe a voice like his has been extremely important to establish another level of just peace after the breakdown of the communist systems, the fall of Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, as well as his contributions to the tearing down of the iron wall.
On behalf of the World Council of Churches, please allow me to express my sincere condolences, on this tragic event for the entire international community.
Yours respectfully,
Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit
WCC general secretary