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©Marcelo Schneider/World Council of Churches

©Marcelo Schneider/World Council of Churches

On behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC) global fellowship, WCC acting general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri expressed grief and sympathy following a plane crash in the Swiss Alps that killed 20 people on board.

The plane, a vintage Swiss military aircraft constructed in 1939, crashed into a mountain. The JU-52 HB-HOT aircraft was flying from Locarno, near Switzerland’s southern border, to airline JU-Air’s base in Dübendorf, a suburb of Zurich.

In letters to the Council of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches and the Swiss Confederation, Phiri reflected that the WCC has cherished its relationship with the Swiss people over the last 70 years. “Therefore, it was with great sadness that we received the news of this tragic accident,”  she wrote. “Please accept our deepest condolences on the passing of the 20 people on board the aircraft.”

The WCC joined Swiss churches in praying for the families of the victims.

“May God strengthen you and your people in this time of sorrow,” Phiri wrote. “We hope that the ministry of the Swiss churches can also be instrumental in comforting the families and all those who mourn the sudden death of this group of people.”

WCC condolence letter to the President of the Swiss Confederation

WCC condolence letter to the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches

WCC member churches in Switzerland