NCCA President: Prayers from my heart at the ICV Vigil , Monday Evening, State Library.

My prayers will be encompassed in a three- fold chant
of “ Lord have mercy”. In the Greek, “Kyrie Eleison”...

My prayer begins with gratitude for the friendships that sustain us...I am so grateful for my friend Mohammed who invited me.... My heart breaks with his and yours..


My prayer is first and poignantly for the dead:
- who have left this earth so violently;

My prayer is for the bereaved :
-who are left with a wound that will never heal..this side of eternity;

My prayer is for the injured :
- who need such care;

My prayer is for the traumatised, including the vicariously traumatised:
-for the healing of memory;

My prayer is for young and old Muslims :
- that they may feel safe to again go their mosque and say their prayers;

My prayer is for the  politics of our democracy:
- that none will fan fear and hate for some cruel political gain..No double- speak. No obfuscation..

My prayer is for the growth of our interreligious , international peace- making community , premised on our being one human family;

My prayer is for our deepest partnership in sharing our learnings from prayer and meditation:
-that we become what we think; that our thoughts shape our words and then our actions; that the pattern of our thinking , over time  , shapes our character and destiny..so that we must be attentive to what we think and who is influencing our thinking;
- that we just must bring our spiritual learnings to bear on the cultivation of pure hearts and minds..Dispersing all that now feeds hate thought , speech and action..”It is from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks”(Jesus in Matthew 12:34)

Gathering all that is in our hearts in the divine mercy , I therefore pray from my heart.....

KYRIE ELEISON

CHRISTE ELEISON

KYRIE ELEISON.

Bishop Philip Huggins

President of the National Council of Churches in Australia.

Hate has no home here

Last Friday, mosques in Christchurch were filled with people who gathered for Friday prayers. They were fathers, mothers, grandparents, daughters and sons. Each and every one of them should have returned home safe to their families.

Instead, 50 people attended their last prayer. The first funerals are happening today, while dozens remain in hospital, many in a critical condition, and those who survived must live with the trauma of having witnessed this horrific act of terror.

This terrible crime on people of faith is an attack on all believers who seek to worship in safety and peace. It is also an assault on our shared humanity and our collective community is in mourning.

I’m sure many of you will be praying for those affected, particularly the victims and their families.

“We represent diversity, kindness, compassion. A home for those who share our values. Refuge for those who need it.”

Since Friday, I’ve had Jacinda Ardern’s words in my head.

At the heart of what happened in Christchurch is fear, intolerance and bigotry. We cannot pretend that hate speech and racism, which is becoming more normalised in our politics and in our society, has nothing to do with this attack in New Zealand.

But hate is not who we are. There may be a lot of anger in this world, but there is a lot more love. To all those who feel helpless right now: you are not powerless.

Each of us can help stop the spread of bigotry and fear. We do that by standing together, acting with integrity and compassion, and using our voice in a way that reflects those values.

Survivors of Friday’s attack have come out with messages of love for their country and fellow Kiwis. In the midst of what they’re going through - the pain, loss and turmoil - their courage is incredibly inspiring.

I believe it is now our responsibility to follow their lead.

So this week, I want to invite you to be brave and be active. Ask yourself, “How can I help promote understanding and unity?”

We can each play a part in stopping things like this from happening again.

We need to lead by example in our own communities. We know that most anti-immigration and anti-refugee sentiment stems from a fear of ‘the other’. But by talking about the things and values we have in common - and not the things that make us different - we can help to shift people's negative attitudes.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has commissioned in-depth research which has really helped me have better discussions around these issues in a way that persuades, rather than polarises. You can read it here.

We also need our leaders to show moral courage, condemn hate speech and refuse to normalise racism. This coming election is an opportunity to elect leaders who do just that. I’ll be voting for candidates who stand for justice, equality and fairness.

It takes all of us to say hate has no home here. Let's say it together.

Ben Littlejohn
Act for Peace

Visiting WCC, Archbishop of Canterbury speaks on “ecumenism of action”

 16 February 2018

"During a visit to the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva on 16 February, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby spoke on an “ecumenism of action” as he also congratulated the WCC on its 70th anniversary."

To read the rest of the article, please click here.

VCC EM RESPONSE TO SOUTH WEST FIRES