Magyar Egyház, 1991 (70. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1991-01-01 / 1. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 13. oldal COMMON BASIC ECUMENICAL STANCE IN THE EVENT OF WAR If war begins in the Gulf we will together: 1. Call the people to prayer for a speedy end to the conflict. 2. Call for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities. 3. Appeal to all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table under United Nations auspices to seek a just, equitable, peaceful solution as rapidly as possible. 4. Express our pastoral concern for all those at risk — both civilian and military, both American and Middle Eastern — and for the leaders of the nations involved, and the leadership of the United Nations. 5. Seek to limit both the scope and the intensity of the conflict. 6. Appeal to all the nations involved not to employ any weapon of mass destruction or which jeopardizes civilian populations, whether chemical, biological, nuclear or conventional. 7. Urge all parties to abide strictly by international humanitarian law applicable in times of armed conflict, often referred to as the “Geneva Conventions,” to guarantee the strict application of international standards for the protection of refugees. 8. Call upon neighboring countries to the conflict to open their borders to allow refugees to transit through their territories to safe haven, and call upon all nations, especially those of the industrialized world, to receive refugees and assist them in their time of need. 9. Seek to provide humanitarian aid to displaced persons and other victims, without distinction, in cooperation with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), the World Council of Churches (WCC), other church-related agencies, and relevant United Nations and other international non-governmental agencies. 1-15-91 A PRAYER FOR PEACE 0 Sovereign and Almighty Lord, Give Thy peace, Thy help, Thy Love unto us Thy servants, the sheep of Thy fold, that we may be united in the bond of peace and love, one body and one spirit, in one hope of our calling in Thy divine and boundless love. Amen. (This prayer is taken from the Liturgy of St. Mark, the traditional Greek Eucharistic Liturgy of the Church of Alexandria, 3rd century, based on a primitive local Egyptian text. The Coptic Liturgy of St. Mark is still in use by the Coptic Church.) CORRECTION In No. 5, page 2, §3, line 3 “In 1934 the original name. . .” should read “In 1958 the original name . . .” A SHOCKING REPETITION OF 1956 The killing of unarmed Lithuanians by Soviet soldiers while occupying the radio and television station of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius sounds like the repetition of the armed suppression of the 1956 popular uprising in Hungary by Soviet tanks under the pretext of “defending and saving socialism.” The world at that time was occupied with the Suez question and paid little attention to the cries of a gallant small nation fighting for its freedom. Now three small nations, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are fighting for their independence bartered away fifty years ago by a German-Russian agreement. Some concessions have been made by Gorbachev but when the movement for independence became “serious,” Gorbachev threatened with force. The Lithuanian incident pointed already to what can be expected. Gorbachev said it happened without his knowledge. President Bush expressed his shock and called upon the Soviet leaders to avoid further such actions which could unfavorably influence the relations of the two nations. The world, of course, is engaged in the great Gulf War. We, Hungarian-Americans are praying for the safety of all American soldiers in the Middle East; but we still cannot forget thinking of the tragic resemblance of 1956 Hungary and the Baltic States in 1990-91. Andrew Harsanyi INTERESTING NEWS FROM THE WORLD OVER NEW ZEALAND: ANGELS REPORTEDLY HIKING RIDES ON DESERTED ROADS From New Zealand, Challenge Weekly newspaper says that it received a dozen reports of angels seeking rides with Christians along deserted roads and motorways in the Wellington and Auckland areas. Once in the car, the hikers reportedly talked about Christ’s return, and then mysteriously disappeared. However, there have been no eyewitness accounts of these encounters. (EPS) FRENCH POLYNESIA: REFORMED OPPOSE PHOSPHATE MINING, GOLF COURSE, CASINO In its annual circular letter to pastors and elders, the synod of the Reformed Church of French Polynesia, expresses opposition to phosphate mining on the atoll of Maaieva, because of the resulting pollution; also to construction of a golf course on prime farm land on the island of Moorea and rejects the opening of a casino in the French Pacific territory. (EPS) GERMANY: PASTOR WHO BAPTISED CATS SUSPENDED The German Lutheran provincial church of Thuringia has suspended Pastor Matthias Pöhland for baptizing cats at the request of their mostly elderly owners. (EPS)
