9176
of UNESCO and the UNESCO Centre of Catalunya, Barcelona (Spain) on 'The Contribution by Religions to the Culture of Peace.' At their second meeting in 1994, the participants issued a Declaration on the contribution by the Religions to the Culture of Peace. Recognizing that in the past religions in addition to contributing to the peace of the world have also at times 'led to division, hatred and war', they pledged to work for peace, to establish dialogue with all and to promote dialogue and harmony between and within religions, recognizing and respecting the search for truth and wisdom that is outside our religion'.
The Declaration concluded with a final appeal to the different religions and cultures to unite their efforts and cooperate in order to propagate the message of peace (see box).
The World Council of Churches, meeting in January 1994 in Johannesburg, South Africa, established a Programme to Overcome Violence with the purpose of 'challenging and transforming the global culture of violence in the direction of a culture of just peace'.
One of the first steps in establishing the Programme was a consultation held in Corrymeela, Northern Ireland in June 1994, entitled 'Building a Culture of Peace: The Churches' Contribution'. In addressing the consultation, which convened 63 peace makers 41 countries around the world, the Secretary General of the World Council of Churches pointed to the need for a reorientation from peace keeping to peace building: 'When the Secretary General of the United Nations presented his "Agenda for Peace", he distinguished the three tasks of peace-keeping, peace-making and peace-building. The evident powerlessness and weakness of the United Nations as an instrument for peace-keeping has shifted attention to the classical approach of peace-making through military intervention, allegedly for humanitarian purposes. Little or no attention has been given to the more long-term task of peace-building and its specific requirements.' Peace-building, he went on to declare, has been the commitment of the ecumenical religious movement from its beginning.
The Churches' Contribution
Guidelines
Building peace requires the creation of a tough spirituality for a long difficult struggle... The church must contribute to the formation of a peace mentality and spirituality which:
• Rejects violence as a solution to conflicts;
• Rejects the belief that war is inevitable;
• Grounds itself in justice;
• Lifts up the values of freedom, mercy and tolerance;
• Stresses the importance of repentance and forgiveness.
Building peace requires a defining and sustaining community. Churches and all their expressions - clergy, lay, congregations, official voices, ecumenical networks - have to be involved actively:
• Using the gifts, experiences and authority of all;
• Sharing indigenous stories, rituals, analyses and actions;
• Making available models of constructive church involvement in situations of conflict;
• Cooperating with governments for the promotion of peace, while standing ready to challenge them when they are intransigent.
The church should encourage respect for others' values, opinions, perspectives and perceptions, embracing the humanity of the 'other':
• Neither governments nor anyone else can be allowed to define the enemy for others;
• Recognize that the presence of fear in ourselves and in others is a key component in conflict.
From Corrymeela Consultation of World Council of Churches, 1-5 June 1994
