ENI – The World Council of Churches, a grouping of 348 mainly Protestant and Orthodox denominations, representing more than 560 million Christians, concluded its central committee meeting in early September with statements on several world issues:
- The committee condemned extra-judicial killings in the Philippines and called on the country's government to disband “death squads,” private militias and paramilitary forces operating outside the official chain of government command.
- The committee urged the government of Sri Lanka and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to respect the terms and conditions of a 2002 ceasefire agreement.
- The committee urged the government of Sudan to agree to the deployment of UN peacekeepers to help the peaceful resolution of conflict in the Darfur region.
- The committee urged the creation of a “truth and reconciliation commission” in northern Uganda to support initiatives in the region which has been the scene of a civil conflict between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army.
- The committee lamented the July 2006 collapse of the Doha Round of trade talks within the World Trade Organization, describing the breakdown as a “blow to multilateral relationships in global trade.”
- The committee urged religious and political leaders to work to ensure the return of displaced persons, co-existence and reconciliation in the divided region of Kosovo as the basis of any long-term settlement.
For the complete text of these and other declarations go to www.oikoumene.org and follow the appropriate links.
