ELCA Bishops Told LWF Remains in Prayer in Wake of Sept. 11

VANCOUVER, B.C. (ELCA) -- The trauma of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States is "still deeply rooted," in the United States, said the president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The Rev. Christian Krause assured the ELCA Conference of Bishops that LWF members throughout the world continue to pray for healing.
Krause, who recently retired as bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brunswick (Germany), spoke to the ELCA Conference of Bishops which met here March 7-12. The LWF is a global communion of 133 Lutheran churches in 73 countries. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
The ELCA bishops met here at the invitation of the bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body to the church, consisting of the church's 65 synods bishops, ELCA presiding bishop and ELCA secretary.
Krause spoke to the ELCA bishops on March 11, the six-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks. He noted the events of Sept. 11 were one of three events that changed the world at the turn of the millennium. "Our guarantee of security ended," he said of that day.
Krause said he appreciated the public statement of the Rev. H. George Anderson, former ELCA presiding bishop, in response to the attacks. Anderson's statement expressed his shock at the attacks and emphasized restraint and peace. More people should be talking about peace and reconciliation, Krause said.
"How about calling for an 'axis of hope, faith and love,' rather than pointing out where the good guys and bad guys are?" Krause said to the applause of the ELCA bishops. The remark was a reference to U.S. President George W. Bush's "axis of evil,' in which he named world governments allegedly engaged in terror activities.
Other events that changed the world at the turn of the millennium are the end of the Cold War in Europe and globalization in electronic communication and economic activity, Krause said.
The end of the Cold War offers opportunities in Eastern Europe, where there are few Christians, he said. "We must stay together and proclaim the gospel in a totally secularized society," Krause said. In other parts of the world, he said, churches in the Southern Hemisphere have been neglected, and "charismatic movements" are growing.
Globalization has eliminated borders, Krause said. Growth in electronic communication through such tools as the Internet is advantageous to some people, but such tools are not available to two- thirds of the world's population, he said.
The Middle East is of special concern to the LWF, Krause said. The LWF operates Augusta Victoria Hospital, located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Most of its patients are Palestinians, some of whom are part of a dwindling Christian presence there, he said.
"There will be no peace in this world if there is no peace in Jerusalem," Krause said. "We are determined to stay (at Augusta Victoria) for our Christian brothers and sisters, and we pray for peace for all." The LWF's "confession of unity" gives strength to smaller Lutheran churches in the world such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (and Palestine) (ELCJ), he said.
Augusta Victoria Hospital is currently involved in a tax case with the Israeli government. Israel wants the hospital to pay millions of dollars in back employment taxes, from which the hospital has been exempt for many years. The case is now in an Israeli court, and a judge overseeing the case has urged the parties to reach a resolution.
The issue is not necessarily the hospital building, he said. "It's the soil," Krause said. "We have made it clear we will not move. We do hope we can solve this issue."
The LWF executive committee may convene in Jerusalem in June, he said, to meet with Israeli officials about the hospital and to show support for the ELCJ.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html