NEWS RELEASE
Mennonite World Conference (MWC)
February 4, 2002
ASSISI, Italy — Religion should never be used to justify violence, war or terrorism by any government or group in the current hostile world environment. Rather, all religions should together commit themselves to justice and peace. These strong beliefs led Pope John Paul II to invite leaders of world religions to gather here to pray for global peace.
The papal invitation to gather in Assisi, Italy on January 24, 2002 for a Day of Prayer for Peace in the World was issued to heads of numerous Christian denominations from Orthodox to Evangelical to Quaker, to leaders of the Jewish and Muslim faiths and of several Eastern religions. Among them was Mesach Krisetya, president of Mennonite World Conference, who came from Indonesia. Others came from as far as Korea, Japan, India and Russia as well as from nearby countries.
At the 4:00 p.m. final service in a lamp-lit tent on the hill at the Basilica of St. Francis, 10 of the leaders each read one statement from 10 common commitments to peace in his own language. Just prior to a concluding statement from the pontiff, Krisetya, who was selected for the honour, made a separate declaration: “We, as persons of different religious traditions, will tirelessly proclaim that peace and justice are inseparable and that peace in justice is the only path which humanity can take towards a future of hope … we are convinced that security, freedom and peace will never be guaranteed by force, but by mutual trust.”
Surrounded by the leaders of many world religions, Pope John Paul II, head of the global Catholic church, pronounced: “Violence never again! War never again! Terrorism never again! In God’s name, may all religions bring upon earth justice, peace, forgiveness, life and love.”
The Day of Prayer began with a two-hour train trip from Rome to Assisi. Its first session was devoted to “testimonies for peace” spoken by Christian participants as well as those of other religions. The second session was devoted to prayer, with various Christian groups and followers of other religions praying in separate places in the city. The division was a way of “avoiding the accusation of being syncretistic,” said Krisetya.
After the pope’s concluding words and exchanging the sign of peace, all the guests joined Pope John Paul II on the train to return to Rome where they were hosted at guest houses in Vatican City. Their visit ended with lunch with the pope the next day.
According to John Radano from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity who is a participant in the series of Mennonite and Catholic dialogues, a similar event in 1986 aroused disfavor among Italian Protestants. This year, as the train passed through stations along the way, Radano said he noticed many Protestants among the crowds.
“They were waving at us as though we were the champions of peace,” Krisetya said.
Krisetya spent a day with Mennonite church leaders in Palermo before returning to Indonesia. He said that he hopes that MWC, particularly by working with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, can help the Italian Mennonite church gain recognition and that his presence as MWC’s representative at the Day of Prayer for Peace in the World demonstrated the Mennonite commitment to peace.
Ferne Burkhardt, News Editor