News
As an observance of the centenary of the end of World War I, the board of the European peace church network Church and Peace publicly called for active remembrance through nonviolence, pointing to the Gospel as a basis for this call.
During a meeting from 7-9 November in Neuwied, Germany, the board of Church and Peace issued a message urging people to make this Gospel call to nonviolence heard.
“We look back on the painful and violent history of Europe, from which we still have to learn,” the message reads. “In these days when we remember the end of the First World War and the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, it is essential to make the Gospel call to nonviolence heard. We challenge Christians, congregations and churches to take resolute steps on the path towards a church of a just peace,” the message reads.
The meeting was hosted by EIRENE, a member organization of Church and Peace.
Church and Peace board members are from the Netherlands, Austria, France, Great Britain, Kosova, Switzerland and Germany. They also commemorated the numerous peace initiatives and the commitment of the many people who stood and stand undaunted on the side of the victims of exclusion and violence, both then and now.
The board gave thanks for the commitment of peace initiatives, such as in the United Kingdom, which commemorate all victims of war and violence with the symbol of the white poppy and thus warn against a flaring-up of militarism.
“As a European peace church network, we are working on the formation of a culture of hospitality, the consistent implementation of human rights, nonviolent conflict management and reconciliation through active remembrance and nonviolent commitment across national borders, and thus on Europe as peace project,” emphasized board chair Antje Heider-Rottwilm. “It is the call of the Gospel that encourages us to follow this challenging path in everyday life and in our political advocacy work.”
