Church communities in Germany and around the world will pause at 6pm on Friday, 7th July, to pray for justice and peace around the world as the G20 summit gets underway in Hamburg.
The move comes after the World Council of Churches, ACT Alliance and All Africa Conference of Churches joined in issuing a ‘Call to Action’ urging for greater action to overcome hunger and bring peace and justice to the Horn of Africa and surrounding regions where people in a number of countries including Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen are facing a growing food crisis.
The Call to Action, which follows a meeting of faith leaders and partner organisations in Nairobi, Kenya, late last month, states that conflict is an “unacceptable common denominator across all countries currently facing the risk of famine”.
Manoj Kurian, coordinator of the WCC Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, said that following the call to action, “we are asking the G20 nations to use their considerable resources to meet the crying needs of the communities”.
“This requires global solidarity and decisive steps from the G20 nations, which account for 85 per cent of the world economy.”
Those comments were echoed by Fr James Oyet Latansio, general secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches.
“We call on leaders of the G20 to apply concerted diplomatic pressure on parties responsible for conflicts, to restore peace and stability, so that people can receive assistance, restore basic services, and allow people to rebuild their lives and to live in peace,” Fr Latansio said.
