Press Release No: 14/03
21 January 2014
The Conference of European Churches is urging its church leaders to pray, and to encourage their political representatives to do all they can to try to secure peace in Syria at the upcoming United Nations-lead Geneva 2 talks.
Nearly three years after its outbreak, the civil war in Syria has claimed the lives of at least 130,000 people and caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the neighbouring region.
The talks are scheduled to begin in Montreux, Switzerland on 22 January and continue in Geneva on 24 January. Countries in which CEC has member churches will be among the participants.
CEC member, the Church of Greece, has noted, "The longer international organisations and all parties involved in this tragedy refuse to act in the manner dictated by humanism and reason, the deeper the tragedy in Syria will grow, with unforeseeable implications for the whole of that much-suffering area of the Middle East."
CEC General Secretary, Rev. Dr Guy Liagre said, "It is for this reason that the Conference of European Churches is joining in the call by some 30 church leaders from Syria and around the world who gathered a week before them at the headquarters of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, to call for substantial action be taken at the talks to end the armed conflict.
"The time for peace to end this tragedy is now."
Link to WCC consultation on Syria:
www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-programmes/public-witness-addressing-power-affirming-peace/middle-east-peace/statement-for-geneva-2-talks-on-syria
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The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a communion of 115 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from all European countries, and 40 organisations in partnership. It was founded in 1959 and the CEC has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.
For more information:
CEC General Secretariat
Phone +41 22 791 62 28
Fax +41 22 791 62 27
e-mail: GenSecretariat@cec-kek.org