September 12, 2012

The question of who is your enemy is one that touches everyone in the world particularly in a place like Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina which suffered a devastating civil war nearly two decades ago.

But it was here on 11 September, in a city of rich cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, that Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), challenged Christian participants at the Sant'Egidio International Meeting of Prayer for Peace before they met with others to pray in their respective holy places, to move beyond the concept of "enemy."

The meeting took place from 9-11 September.

"I do not believe in the concept of enemy," Tveit said at the opening of his meditation. "As believers in God through the witness of Jesus Christ, we should not believe in the concept of enemy."

During the Balkans War, Sarajevo was a city where neighbours became enemies and many civilians lost their lives.

"Being here in Sarajevo, we are reminded that when the concept of neighbour is turned into the concept of enemy, everybody will lose, maybe even their lives," he said.

Similarly, Tveit mentioned more recent violence where the choosing of enemies has led to unconscionable tragedies.

"This day, September 11, shows us that even religion can be used as a motivation and pretext for the worst and most cruel actions against humankind, the ultimate effect of treating one another as enemies," he said. "Terror is terror whatsoever the motivation might be."

Titling his mediation "If God is for us, who is then against us?" Tveit touched on the sobering reality that for Christians, being an enemy or having enemies is not an option.

"As disciples of Jesus Christ, we know that some might see us as enemies; Jesus said that we might be persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven," he said.

"We were reconciled to God by the death of Christ. Everything, even hatred and death, looks different through the love of Christ, even if these powers do not disappear."

Tveit's mediation helped bring to a close two days of panel discussions and inter-religious dialogue which are the trademark of the Sant'Egidio sponsored event. The theme for the event was "Living Together is the Future: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue."

Representing the WCC and its member churches around the world, Tveit also participated in panel discussions, including "Love for the Poor, the Path to Ecumenism" and "Experts in humanity: Christians in Society."

"We are liberated to carry the cross of Christ under any circumstances, with faith, hope and love. Not for crusades, but in solidarity with the suffering world. As a sign of the core of the Christian message: God is for us," Tveit said in closing his meditation.

"Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ; therefore, Jesus calls us to love our enemies," he said.

The meeting was co-organized by the Community of Sant'Edigio, the Islamic community of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vhrbosna-Sarajevo and the Jewish community of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Patriarch Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church, a member church of the WCC, also attended the event.

Read full text of Tveit's mediation: http://lists.wcc-coe.org/ct.html?ufl=d&rtr=on&s=jazjt,hbrm,usx,6nni,95jr,iczd,e4ua.

Watch Tveit's presentation on "Love for the Poor, the Path to Ecumenism" on YouTube (in Italian): http://lists.wcc-coe.org/ct.html?ufl=d&rtr=on&s=jazjt,hbrm,usx,d5lo,g3yx,iczd,e4ua.

WCC programme for inter-religious dialogue and cooperation: http://lists.wcc-coe.org/ct.html?ufl=d&rtr=on&s=jazjt,hbrm,usx,3n7o,antz,iczd,e4ua.

World Council of Churches