|
Dear Friends,
Blessings from my flight en route from Baghdad to Denmark.
I am travelling to our Copenhagen Crisis Summit, where Iraq's most senior Islamic leaders - Sunni, Shia and Christian - will participate in talks concerning the persecution of Christians and religious minorities in Iraq.
An urgent call for tolerance
Our High Council of Religious Leaders in Iraq (HCRLI), which I chair, has long been at the forefront of the call for tolerance, for an end to sectarian violence, and for respect and tolerance for all. Following its 2008 meeting, also in Denmark, the High Council issued the Copenhagen Accord, which paved the way for the first ever joint Sunni-Shia Fatwa in Iraq. The Fatwa condemned violence and terrorism and recognised the rights of religious and ethnic minorities.
However, that was more than two years ago, and we urgently need a fresh statement of these religious leaders' commitment to the right of religious minority groups to live peacefully in Iraq.
Religious leaders: a unique role
Now the world has woken up to the fact that, in the Middle East, religious leaders can often do what political leaders cannot. When religion goes wrong, we need the intervention of religious leaders to make things go right. They can call for peace and will be listened to.
We are so grateful for the speedy response to this urgent issue from the Danish Government, the USA, the UK and others in the European Union, who have made this series of talks possible. Language and prayers
On October 31 2010, extremists stormed the Syrian Catholic Church in Baghdad, killing more than 50 people. Since that atrocity, and through all of the subsequent violence toward religious minorities throughout Iraq, Iraqi Christians have told me time and again how they have been protected by their Muslim brothers and sisters.
Too often, the language we use portrays the Muslim faith as something violent, as a perpetrator of terror and as the enemy. I hope and pray that this meeting will show the world that Muslims and Christians are in fact friends, not enemies. Please pray: · That our High Council will be able to stand united in the fight against violence and the pursuit of peace; · That they will be able to demonstrate their commitment to peace by way of a joint declaration or religious ruling affirming the right of religious minorities to live together in peace in Iraq; · That they will be able to produce a realistic plan of action, mapping out how they will use their considerable influence in the future to stem the flow of violence; · For grace and love, developing into respect and trust, as we walk together down the difficult path of reconciliation. Our meeting in Copenhagen is a vital step, but it is not an end in itself. Lasting change will not come overnight. We ask for your prayer and support as we move forward.
Pray also that funds may continue to allow for further meetings to build on the work done at this conference.
St George's Church Meanwhile, worship at George's this weekend was wonderful, as we looked at the feast of the Epiphany, the coming of the wise men. We looked at how the presentation of the gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh totally fitted in with the end of the Lord's Prayer, "for Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory".
We also give thanks that, despite the fleeing of so many Christians following recent atrocities, St George's has swelled once more to bulge at its seams. We ask for your continued prayers, especially for our conference this week.
With love, Peace and Blessings,
Andrew Canon Andrew White
| 
