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By Philip Lee, WACC Deputy-Director of Programmes 
| | WACC is sponsoring a workshop on media and gender justice in Haiti as part of the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) International Ecumenical Peace Convocation which began Wednesday 18 May 2011 in Kingston, Jamaica.
In 2006 the WCC’s 9th Assembly decided that the 2001-2010 Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) would end with the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC). The IEPC aims to witness to the Peace of God as a gift and responsibility of the oikumene. It seeks to assess and strengthen the church’s position on peace and deepen a shared commitment to processes of reconciliation.
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The IEPC inaugurates the next stage in the ecumenical journey by exploring the concept of ‘just peace’, developing its ethical and theological aspects, applying it in different fields of work, and strengthening the networks and partnerships necessary for ecumenical peace-building and peace advocacy today. Much of the programme is built around four themes: Peace in the Community (so that all may live free from fear); Peace with the Earth (so that life is sustained); Peace in the Marketplace (so that all may live with dignity); and Peace among the Peoples (so that human lives are protected).
Moderated by Rev. Dr. Olaf Fykse Tveit, WCC General Secretary, greetings were offered by the Honourable Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica; Gerhard Granado, General Secretary of the Caribbean Council of Churches; Rev. Dr. Paul Gardner, President of the Jamaica Council of Churches; and Rev. Dr. Ofelia Ortega, President of the World Council of Churches.
Participants heard a series of speeches focusing on the urgent need for the churches to work for greater peace and reconciliation throughout the world. Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, of the Russian Orthodox Church, called on the churches to put real content into their peace and human rights work and to tackle the persecution of Christians in today’s world.
Professor Dr. Margot Kaessmann, former Bishop of Hanover and chairperson of the Evangelical Church in Germany, took the theme “Peace be with you!” to challenge the churches to dream the dream of a world without violence, to help mediate conflict and persuade governments in their countries to stop producing, funding, and purchasing weapons.
| | Christian peace activist Dr Paul Oestreicher gave the Keynote Address. Former chairperson of Amnesty International and director of the Coventry Cathedral Centre for International Reconciliation, he is currently a chaplain at Sussex University and Canon Emeritus of Coventry Cathedral (both in the United Kingdom). Oestreicher said that, “The struggle for greater justice will remain a task for every generation, for as long as human society exists. Our faith, our common humanity, our love for one another commits us to this struggle.”
In a speech that went to the heart of political and cultural practices that sanction war and conflict, he said that the abolition of war is possible. “If the churches of the world fail to embark on such a campaign, we will have nothing of unique significance to say on the subject of world peace.”
| | Christian peace activist: Dr Paul Oestreicher | | |
WACC has organised a workshop as part of the event. Led by Jéruscha Vasti Michel and Natacha Clergé, two young Haitian women communicators, it will consider the unbalanced representation of women in the media and its negative impact on the resolution of conflict and the preservation of peace. Based on the findings from WACC’s Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) and focusing on Haiti, participants will explore the role of communication in giving women a place at peace negotiation tables.
Sharing inspirations and reflections around the Ecumenical Call to a Just Peace will have considerable impact after the Convocation draws to a close. Potential follow-up measures include: - theological institutions or networks addressing specific themes and topics related to just peace;
- collaborating toward developing an ecumenical theology and consensus on just peace, especially during the lead-up to the WCC Assembly in 2013;
- initiatives that link Christian unity with the church’s witness for peace;
- and interreligious dialogue and cooperation on issues related to peace.
For further information, see: http://www.overcomingviolence.org/en/peace-convocation.html
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