A growing number of churches in Finland and around the world are ringing their bells at 5pm every day in a symbol of their solidarity with the people of the war-torn city of Aleppo in Syria.
A member of the Evangelical Church of Finland’s Kallio parish in Helsinki first had the idea of ringing the church bells to commemorate those suffering in Aleppo. Other churches were asked to join in, ringing their bells at 5pm every day until United Nations Day on 24th October, and, more than 200 churches are now reportedly taking part in what has been described as a “national phenomenon”.
To coincide with the bell ringing, the hashtag #alepponkellot (#BellsforAleppo) has been trending on Twitter, and there is a push to take the campaign international. Churches in Sweden and London already having joined in.
Marianne Ejdersten, director of communication for the World Council of Churches – which has produced a short video in collaboration with the ACT Alliance and the Lutheran World Federation on the initiative, said ringing church bells together “is one way in a moving way to be present in spirit and prayer for the people of Aleppo, who are facing a humanitarian crisis as war continues around them”.
“The ringing of bells reminds us that peace starts with a single sound that resonates into refrains heard around the world.”
~ www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvpZhjCcdr0&sns=fb
