Ecumenical Delegation to Visit Churches in Pakistan

November 1, 2002

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is sending an ecumenical delegation on a pastoral visit to Pakistan, 2-9 November. Organized in consultation with the WCC member churches in the country and the National Council of Churches in Pakistan, the delegation will visit Karachi and Lahore to listen and learn from the people about the situation in the country as a result of the war in Afghanistan, and the challenges facing the churches there. There have been a series of attacks on Christian churches and institutions in the country since the war started in Afghanistan.

The visit to Karachi follows the attack on 25 September on the office of Idara-e-Amn-o-Insaf (Committee for Justice and Peace) in which seven young Christian workers were killed. The authorities have failed to identify the attackers but according to news reports, they are alleged to belong to Islamic extremist groups. Idara-e-Amn-o-Insaf was set up in 1974 by the diocese of the Roman Catholic Church with the Church of Pakistan to promote and protect human rights.

Mr Clement John, executive staff in the WCC International Relations team, notes that "as the war in Afghanistan intensified, the anger and resentment amongst the Islamic parties and militant groups increased." He noted that, to date, none of the perpetrators involved in the series of attacks have been brought before a court of law for trial. "The Christian community in Pakistan is a tiny minority," he says. "It lives in fear of more such attacks." "Through the visit, we wish to express solidarity with the churches and Christians in Pakistan and encourage the government to provide safety and security for the Christian minority there," he explains.

The WCC has two member churches in Pakistan, the Church of Pakistan and the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan. Christians account for less than three percent of the country's population.

Members of the delegation include: Bishop Roger Sainsbury, moderator of Churches' Commission for Racial Justice, UK; Dr L. J. Koffeman, advisor for Ecumenical Relations to the general secretary, Uniting Churches in the Netherlands; Mr Tony Waworuntu, International Affairs secretary, Christian Conference of Asia, Hong Kong; Ms Youngsook C.Kang, deputy general secretary, Mission Contexts & Relationships/Mission Education, United Methodist Church, USA; Rev. John Moyer, director, Frontier Internship in Mission (joining the delegation for part of the visit); Mr Clement John, International Relations, World Council of Churches.

WCCMedia.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly, which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.