Pope on 2018: forget life’s ‘useless baggage,’ work for peace

From RNS-

Pope Francis on Monday recommended jettisoning life’s “useless baggage” in 2018, including what he called “empty chatter” and banal consumerism, and focusing instead on building a peaceful and welcoming world, particularly for refugees and migrants.

Francis offered his reflections on paring down non-essentials as he celebrated New Year’s Day Mass Monday in St. Peter’s Basilica and later greeted some 40,000 people in St. Peter’s Square.

His advice included setting aside a moment of silence daily to be with God. Doing so would help “keep our freedom from being corroded by the banality of consumerism, the blare of commercials, the stream of empty words and the overpowering waves of empty chatter and loud shouting,” Francis said.

More here-

http://religionnews.com/2018/01/01/pope-on-2018-forget-lifes-useless-baggage-work-for-peace/

Archbishop Justin Welby joins new UN advisory board on mediation

FromACNS-

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has joined 17 other global leaders and experts on a new United Nations High Level Advisory Board on Mediation. The board was established by António Guterres, nine months into his tenure as UN secretary-general. It is part of a “surge in diplomacy for peace” that Guterres has called for. The new board “brings together an unparalleled range of experience, skills, knowledge and contacts,” the UN said, and “will provide the secretary-general with advice on mediation initiatives and back specific mediation efforts around the world.”

Guterres wants to strengthen the UN’s work in conflict prevention and mediation and the new board is expected to allow the UN “to work more effectively with regional organisations, non-governmental groups and others involved in mediation around the world,” the UN said.

Archbishop Justin Welby said that he was “honoured” to join the new board and was “praying for its contribution to global peace and reconciliation.”

More here-

http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2017/09/archbishop-justin-welby-joins-new-un-advisory-board-on-mediation.aspx

Swords to Plowshares, Part I

From Plough-

A sculpture of a man beating a sword into a plowshare stands on the grounds of the United Nations in New York City. The UN was founded in October of 1945, after the carnage of the two world wars, and this sculpture was a testament to the hope that all nations would gather at one center, submit to a common law, and forswear armed conflict: as the prophet Isaiah said, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks.”

Isaiah was an audacious man. He challenged the Israelites’ fascination with military power. There was something exhilarating about brandishing a sword or riding in a chariot, thereby enhancing one’s power and transcending one’s human limitations. One felt quasi-omnipotent. There was something intoxicating about shooting arrows or throwing spears, thereby projecting power over ever-greater distances. One felt quasi-omnipresent. There was something God-like about warfare.

But Isaiah derided the people of Israel for their trust in weapons and alliances. When the army of the Assyrian king Sennacherib marched toward Jerusalem, and Hezekiah sent his ambassadors to Egypt for help, Isaiah was outraged. The Lord had liberated the Israelites from the Egyptians, and now they willingly returned to Egypt. The Lord had once destroyed the Egyptian army, but now the Israelites were trusting in its power rather than the Lord’s. Isaiah confronted them with their foolishness:

More here-

https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/bible-studies/trusting-god

AB Welby on Bartholomew's legacy of dialogue, reconciliation

From Vatican Radio (with audio)-

Among the world’s religious leaders gathered in Assisi on Tuesday for the World Day of Prayer for Peace is the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Justin Welby.

The Anglican leader was moderating one of the many panel discussions organised by the St Edigio community as part of a three day international meeting focused on the theme ‘Thirst for peace – religions and cultures in dialogue’. Since the first Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi, called for by Pope John Paul II exactly 30 years ago, St Egidio has  organised an annual interfaith encounter to highlight the vital role of dialogue among all people of faith in promoting peace in the world.

More here-

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/09/20/ab_welby_on_bartholomews_legacy_of_dialogue,_reconciliation/1259367

The Christmas Truce, 100 Years Later

From Bishop Whalon-

We get “joyous” from “joyeux.” The English say “happy” Christmas, Americans have kept that lovely word “merry” alive. “Noël” is a mysterious word, not Latin or Greek or even Hebrew in origin. Originally it was a cheer when the king visited or the queen gave birth or French arms won a victory. Hooray for the newborn Prince of Peace! Noël!

Joyeux Noël is also the name of a film that came out nine years ago. It depicts an event that happened exactly one hundred years ago today. On Christmas Day 1914, French, British and German troops declared a truce in order to celebrate Christmas together. The high commands hated that it happened, devised policies to stop it from happening again, and did not allow any mention of the truce. Yet rumors were rife, soldiers recorded it in diaries and drawings, and gradually the story came out, well after the Great War was over.

http://bppwhalon.tumblr.com/post/106238699496/the-christmas-truce-100-years-later

How the sign of peace disturbs me

From Catholic Herald-  (Snog?)

Isn’t ironic that the bit of the Mass where we exchange a “sign of peace” is the least peaceful bit of all? Everyone gets up, shakes hands, says hello, gives hugs and sometimes kisses. I’ve even witnessed a full-blown snog. It breaks up the Mass and, when conveyed with zealotry, transforms it into something it’s really not supposed to be: part hippie love fest, part election campaign (there’s always one fellow who dashes through the pews, clasping hands like he’s chasing votes). I don’t like it. Sometimes I don’t do it at all – which can cause great offence that I instantly regret.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to kneel it out during a church service in Kent. When the time came for the peace, I got to my knees and started praying. I heard the “peace be with you” fluttering around my head, and opened one eye to see if the flesh-pressing was up. Unfortunately, I caught the gaze of a nice old man in front. He might’ve thought I was confused, or foreign, or both, and so extended a hand to me. “Peace be with you!” he boomed. It had been so long since I’d replied, that I forgot the words. So I answered: “You too!” Something about the way I said it communicated disdain. The poor man withdrew his hand, looking deeply upset. In another triumph for Catholic guilt, I left Mass feeling wretched.

More here-

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2014/09/05/how-the-sign-of-peace-disturbs-me/

That horrible church moment for us introverts when we have to….yuck…and what I learned about it today

From Patheos-

I like 12 minute Episcopal homilies.

No time for fooling around. Just get to the point. And since that point can show up at any time, I have to be paying attention.

Paying attention to sermons is new for me. In the past my mind would often wander because my mind tends to do that during a 45 minute Sunday morning “sermon”/lecture/doctrinal beat down/look-at-how-much-I-know session.

In a way, I miss those days. I got some of my best writing ideas daydreaming. And those times when I was paying attention, long sermons allowed me to flex my judgmental muscles, thinking of all the ways that, if I were preaching on that verse, it would be so much better.

More here-

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/peterenns/2014/04/that-horrible-church-moment-for-us-introverts-when-we-have-to-yuck-and-what-i-learned-about-it-today/

Return al Qaeda hate with peace, Nairobi bishop asks Kenyans

From Kenya-

Religious leaders in Kenya have called upon Christians and Muslims to foreswear revenge in the wake of the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in suburban Nairobi, urging all Kenyans to remain united in the face of terrorism.

On 21 September 2013 upwards of 15 members of the Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab attacked shoppers in the upscale mall patronized by the city’s expatriate community and the burgeoning middle classes.  Reports from survivors state the terrorists, including one woman, began to spray shoppers with automatic rifle fire and lobbed grenades into stores and restaurants.

Some patrons of the mall were taken hostage, eyewitnesses reported. Those who were able to recite the Shadada, the Muslim profession of belief, were released. Those who would not convert to Islam were executed.  The Red Cross reports that 69 bodies had been recovered from the Mall, including those of two terrorists. However the interior ministry reports only 59 dead so far, but concedes the death toll will rise.

- See more at:

http://anglicanink.com/article/return-al-qaeda-hate-peace-nairobi-bishop-asks-kenyans#sthash.fk5AcZ0q.67ccTsSt.dpuf

Pope Francis’ peace appeal for Syria marks Vatican’s return to global stage

From RNS-

Pope Francis on Thursday (Sept. 5) told world leaders gathered in Russia for the G-20 summit that a military intervention in Syria would be “futile,” urging them to focus instead on dialogue and reconciliation to bring peace to the war-torn country.

The Argentine pontiff’s first major foray onto the global stage comes as the U.S. Congress prepares to vote on a military strike against Syria in response to a reported chemical weapons attack outside Damascus on Aug. 21.

For Francis, just six months on the job, the Syria question will test his ability to summon the power of his global bully pulpit and could play a major role in shaping the global image of a man who’s drawn more attention for his down-to-earth pastoral appeal.

Western nations blame the chemical attack on the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect with links to Shiite Islam who is trying to suppress a two-year-long Sunni-led rebellion that has claimed more than 100,000 lives.
More here-

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/09/05/pope-francis-peace-appeal-for-syria-marks-vaticans-return-to-global-stage/

El Paso Religious Leaders Holding 'Prayer for Peace' in Syria

From Texas-


Catholic and Episcopal leaders in El Paso and New Mexico are encouraging a local "Prayer for Peace in Syria" for this Saturday.

The churches are responding to Pope Francis' recent call to people of all faiths to spend a "day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria."

"My heart is deeply wounded by what is happening in Syria and anguished by the dramatic developments," Francis said at his weekly papal appearance to crowds in St. Peter's Square on Sunday.

Like many, Francis is against the U.S. and France committing a military strike on the Syrian regime for an alleged chemical weapons attack. The U.S. government claims more than 1,400 people, including 400 children, were killed in an Aug. 21 attack by the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad on a rebel-held suburb of Damascus. The Syrian government has denied the allegations and blames the rebels.

President Barack Obama is seeking the approval of Congress to authorize a U.S. military strike. Francis is asking people to pray for peaceful negotiations instead. 

More here-

http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2013/9/5/el_paso_religious_leaders_holding_prayer.htm

Canada’s Anglican Church asks members to learn about settlements

From The Jerusalem Post-

Canada’s Anglican Church passed a resolution calling on members to educate themselves “more deeply” about Israel’s “illegal settlements.”

The Anglican Journal reported that the measure was “hotly debated” at the July 3-7 meeting of the Church’s General Synod, its main governing body, in Ottawa.

The resolution, which passed with the support of 73 percent of the synod’s nearly 300 members, reiterates the Church’s long-held positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which “recognize the legitimate aspirations, rights and needs of both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace with dignity within sovereign and secure borders; condemns the use of all kinds of violence, especially against civilians; calls for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza); and calls upon Israel, as an occupying power, to recognize the Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids the transfer and settlement of its citizen in occupied territories.”

However, the resolution also calls on Canadian Anglicans to take some new steps, including educating themselves “more deeply” on a variety of issues, including “the impact of illegal settlements on the lives of both Palestinians and Israelis; about imported products identified as produced in or related to the illegal settlements and misleadingly labeled as produced in Israel; and about the complexities of economic advocacy measures.”

More here-

http://www.jpost.com/International/Canadas-Anglican-Church-asks-members-to-learn-about-settlements-319228

Anglican Communion launches worldwide survey on reconciliation

From Christian Today-

The Anglican Communion's Anglican Peace and Justice Network (APJN) has launched a worldwide survey to gather the experience of Anglicans and Episcopalians who have taken part in national or local truth and reconciliation commissions.

The aim is to learn from Anglican contributions to past and present truth and reconciliation processes. The information received will be used to create resources and mechanisms to support Communion churches who may become involved in such reconciliation work locally. It will also identify Anglicans and Episcopalians who can offer insight and advice.

APJN convenor South African Ms Delene Mark anticipates a wealth of information from the APJN survey which has been addressed initially to the Primates* and Provincial Secretaries of the 38 Provinces of the Anglican Communion, as well as the Bishops of extra-provincial dioceses.

"We have already received details of Anglican engagement with truth and reconciliation processes associated with ethnic conflict, slavery and racism, the exclusion of people experiencing the sharp end of poverty from decisions made about them, and two national initiatives concerned with the legacies of the separation of Aboriginal children from their parents", she said.

More here-

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/anglican.communion.launches.worldwide.survey.on.reconciliation/32510.htm

The day the Archbishop took a double glazing call - at gunpoint

From The Telegraph-

The Most Rev Justin Welby has recounted how he once found himself staring “up the barrel of a gun” at a road block in when his mobile phone rang.

After an embarrassed pause, he fished the phone out of his pocket and confidently answered, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

But any hope of giving the soldiers manning a roadblock the impression it was an urgent call were scuppered when he heard a voice on he other end.

“Warwick Glass here, Mr Welby,” the voice said.

“Can we fit your new window this afternoon?”.

The incident, from the Archbishop’s time as a Canon of Coventry Cathedral, when he worked as a conflict negotiator between warring groups in west Africa and the Middle East, is contained in the first biography of the new leader of the world’s 77 million Anglicans.

It discloses how during scores of trips to the troubled Niger Delta in Nigeria, Burundi, Iraq and Palestine, his life was in danger several times.

More here-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9918038/The-day-the-Archbishop-took-a-double-glazing-call-at-gunpoint.html

Anglican leader sets out challenge of collaboration for peace

From ACNS-

Co-operation may be a natural thing, but it isn't easy. It requires a real willingness to work together across different world views. That was the message of keynote speaker Dr Stephen Cherry, from the Anglican Diocese of Durham, as he helped launch the 2012 Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh.

The launch event for the Festival focused on 'Sharable Futures', and took place at St John's Episcopal Church in the heart of the Scottish capital.

The Festival of Spirituality and Peace, in its twelfth year, features 400 events across 21 venues from 3-27 August. It is sponsored by a wide variety of faith and civic groups, the Scottish government, the think-tank Ekklesia and the University of Edinburgh.

The Anglican leader said that a rich cultural mix and a meaningful religious exchange requires more than polite toleration or middle-class liberalism. Rather it involves a much more gutsy, world-changing effort. We need leadership that makes for peace.

More here-

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2012/8/6/Anglican-leader-sets-out-challenge-of-collaboration-for-peace

South Sudan: New Year Must Bring Us Peace

From Sudan-

The youth of South Sudan like those elsewhere in the world call it "Two year night" because it was when December 31st ended at midnight while January 1st began simultaneously after it at 1.00 a.m.

In Juba and reportedly in other major towns of South Sudan's ten states, this particular night seemed to be a blessed one because people of all walks of life prepared for it and waited patiently some even waited impatiently for the change to occur so that they could witness and celebrate it with happiness which was actually marked by ululations, fire crackers, candle lighting and extinguishing as soon as December ticked off, utterances and other cries of excitement to welcome the New Year which has ushered in.

In the main cathedrals of Juba, the St. Theresa of Kator, St. Joseph church of the Catholic and All Saints Cathedral of the Episcopal Church and several others there were sounds of bells which served two purposes: one was to invite the faithful to thanksgiving prayers and the other was to announce the dawn of a new year. In residential quarters of Juba the young and elderly took time off from normal sleep to witness the transition from 2011 to 2012.

More here-

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201031169.html

We need peace urgently, say Holy Land leaders

CHRISTIAN LEADERS in the Holy Land have asked for worldwide prayers for peace in the Middle East. In particular, they ask for international assistance in finding a solution to the crisis in the Holy Land itself.

In a Christmas message, 13 Patriarchs and heads of Churches in Jerusalem — including the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, the Rt Revd Suheil Dawani — speak of there being even more than the usual “darkness, conflict, and despair in the world around us”.

They say that they needed “the light of Christ to shine on this land to enable us to work more realistically for a two-state solution which would end the burden of restrictions arising out of [Israeli] occupation”.

The Jerusalem church dignitaries add that they were praying that the US President-elect, Barack Obama, and other heads of state and other world leaders would “see the urgent need for peace in the Middle East, and not least in this land”.

The 13 signatories also call the world’s attention to the Gaza Strip, where one-and-a-half million Palestinians have been living under an Israeli blockade for many weeks. Christians, the church leaders say, need “to see the situation in which many are suffering” in Gaza, and make “a determined effort to bring them urgent relief”.

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=67986