153. “If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness.[38]” We stand in solidarity to support God’s people throughout the world who have commended themselves and their concerns to the wider Anglican family, especially:
154. We decry the persecution, torture, imprisonment and killing of people on account of their faith whatever their faith may be. We are particularly distressed when some acts are carried out by or with the connivance of the police, the military or the agents of state;
155. The Anglican Communion supports the reunification of the Korean peninsula for establishing permanent peace in North East Asia, and also collaborates with Toward Peace in Korea (TOPIK) launched November 2007 in order to advance the movement effectively. At the same time, the Anglican Communion actively supports Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Communion in Japan), which is leading a peace movement for protecting the Peace Constitution for settlement of peace in North East Asia.
(Japan’s Constitution, Article 9: the renunciation of the use of military force which the current Japanese government is trying to remove).
156. We stand in solidarity with Australia’s indigenous peoples, both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. We applaud the apology made by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to the stolen generations and acknowledge that the journey towards reconciliation has only just begun, particularly in relation to remote Aboriginal communities in Australia;
157. We are in solidarity with the six million people currently hungry in Ethiopia;
with Christians in Somalia who live daily with fear for their lives.
158. We have heard disturbing stories from around Africa; political conflict in Zimbabwe; de-humanizing conditions in Sudan; xenophobic violence in South Africa, and we strongly register our support for the bishops who are working under extreme and trying conditions. We call on President Mugabe to stop harassing the bishops and the faithful of our church. In solidarity with the continent of Africa we call for a speedy, peaceful settlement involving all political parties that would lead to democratic government.
159. We stand with all who suffer from the consequences of natural disaster. We support the peoples of Myanmar suffering from the effects of cyclone Nargis. We are in solidarity with the victims of Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, especially the poor, children and youth; and with the Church in Louisiana as she attempts to promote a Truth and Reconciliation Commission despite widespread opposition.
160. We decry the situation in India and stand in solidarity with the dalits who continue to suffer injustices. We call on the government to exercise restraint and to broaden their practice of democracy.
161. We plead for much greater attention to and action for the two million Iraqi refugees outside that country, and the two million displaced persons in that country. The ancient churches of that nation must not be allowed to disappear. We are alarmed by the diminishing presence of Christian churches in Lebanon, and Iran.
162. We continue to honour Jerusalem as having a special place as a “home” for three major world faiths, i.e. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. We commit to ongoing prayer for the land of Israel/Palestine and all peoples living in it, especially for our Christian brothers and sisters and their witness to Christ. We support the inter-faith initiatives for peace making in the Land of the Holy One.
Notes:
38 1 Corinthians 12.26