The South African Church Leaders' Forum met in Bonaero Park, Johannesburg, yesterday to discuss matters of national, international and ecumenical concern. The agenda for their first gathering of 2008 was wide-ranging and included discussions of political leadership, governance and integrity; economic and ecological justice; and human rights and dignity.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIGNITY

Attack on Central Methodist Church

Church leaders expressed shock and outrage at the attack launched early yesterday morning on the ministry of "radical hospitality" that has long been pursued by Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg. For many years, the Central Methodist has welcomed Zimbabweans and others who have been displaced by political conflict and economic turmoil.

The leaders heard that roughly 50 police officers forced their way into the church in the middle of the night without a warrant or any prior discussion with the church's minister, Bishop Paul Verryn, or other church officials. Preliminary reports indicate that more than 1000 people were taken into custody, including more than 200 women, a number of whom are pregnant.

Anglican Bishop Peter Lee, who spoke by telephone with Bishop Verryn just before the Church Leaders' meeting, said that the conduct of the police was "like the worst excesses of the 1970s and 1980s". A wellness centre at the church, assisted by Médecins Sans Frontières, which attends to a wide range of residents' needs including HIV/AIDS care, was vandalised and the staff on duty were detained.

Church leaders were particularly disturbed to find that the action was taken without any attempt to engage the church, especially since church and municipal officials have for some time been exploring ways that they can co-operate to provide hospitality and services to refugees. "Mayor Masondo has been very supportive and open to partnership with the churches," said Bishop Lee. "He has been clear that Johannesburg has always been a city of newcomers."

Mr. Eddie Makue, General Secretary of the SACC, noted that there is a long Biblical tradition of the church acting as a place of sanctuary and refugee. "In the apartheid era, we often were able to hide people in churches, because we knew that even the brutal apartheid police were reluctant to violate the sanctity of the church," he recalled.

Bishop Ivan Abrahams, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, urged other churches to follow Central Methodist's example of "radical hospitality". Rev. George Mahlobo reported that the Apostolic Faith Mission has also been encouraging its congregations to assist Zimbabweans in South Africa. However, he said that an AFM minister at Messina has been arrested for providing sanctuary to displaced people.

Church leaders also exchanged information about their respective efforts to promote justice and peace in Zimbabwe. They called on congregations to pray for all affected by the crisis in Zimbabwe, including Bishop Verryn and those who had been living at Central Methodist.

Electoral Violence

In view of the fact that churches have long been advocates of democracy as a way of enabling people to decide peacefully matters of national concern, the leaders were especially alarmed by the growing number of incidents where elections have become flashpoints of violence and social upheaval.

The meeting received two reports from the All Africa Conference of Churches arising out of a solidarity visit that the AACC conducted in Kenya following the December 2007 elections. Bishop Ivan Abrahams, who recently returned from Kenya, noted with sadness that some churches in Kenya have been fuelling the ethnic tensions that have begun to characterise the political conflict that emerged in the wake of the poll. The church leaders asked the South African Council of Churches National Executive Committee to send a letter of solidarity to the churches and people of Kenya, expressing concern over the crisis, and calling them to be faithful, to support democracy, to eschew violence, to work together for the common good of the country, and to uphold the vulnerable and marginalised.

Similarly, they were distressed by the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe, which is scheduled to go to the polls in March, and by the social and political unrest in Pakistan following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The leaders noted that thousands of Pakistanis, including the minority Christian community, face extreme discrimination and repression, and this threat intensifies in times of political instability. The leaders asked the SACC to consider preparing a letter of solidarity addressed to all of Pakistan's people, urging people to seek peace as they work to consolidate their democracy.

Palestine

Rev. Luke Pato, Director of the SACC's Justice, Reconciliation and Healing Programme, updated the church leaders on the intolerable conditions faced by people living in the Gaza Strip. For several days in mid January, no food, medicine or fuel could be brought into the region. Residents were without power for 12 hours a day and health services were seriously compromised. Many residents only gained access to vital supplies on 23 January when militants blew holes in the wall that separates Gaza from Egypt, and 100,000 Gazans flooded across then border.

Bishop Lunga ka Siboto, Presiding Bishop of the Ethiopian Episcopal Church, urged churches to publicise the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel and encouraged individuals to volunteer to serve as Accompaniers in the Holy Land.

Crime

Dr. Jerry Pillay, former Moderator of the Uniting Presbyterian Church, reported on the church leaders' initiatives to address crime during the past year, including a number of meetings with public officials and a series of congregational dialogues that generated numerous practical suggestions for how communities could curb crime. Church leaders applauded the initiative and encouraged churches to continue these discussions. At the same time, they agreed that crime can only be addressed effectively in the context of larger social and political issues. "Crime is a symptom of the breakdown of social solidarity," said Dr. Puleng Lenka Bula, Vice President of the SACC. "Our strategy for dealing with crime must be embedded in a larger vision of our society. We must recognise economic injustice as a crime against the poor. Poverty and inequality must remain paramount concerns for the Church."

The leaders also stressed the responsibility of public figures, including elected officials to be role models of integrity and morality.

POLITICAL LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE AND INTEGRITY

Reflecting on the outcomes of the ANC Conference in Polokwane, the leaders noted with regret the signs of deep division within the ruling party. While they acknowledged that it was, in some respects, natural for two centres of power to emerge within the party prior to a transitional election, they expressed concern about the level of hostility that seemed to mark the division.

"We have commented before on the problems associated with the 'politics of disgrace'," said SACC President Prof Tinyiko Maluleke. "We have registered our disappointment with the unbecoming conduct displayed by some delegates to the ANC conference. We urge our political leaders to work together to overcome the divisions that inhibit them from serving the nation and working to ensure that all South Africans have access to the basic services that enable them to live with dignity."

The leaders recognised the impending trials of the ANC President, the National Police Commissioner and other public officials threaten to deepen political tensions. They affirmed that, as a young democracy, it is essential for the rule of law to be respected and for established legal mechanisms to be allowed to take their course.

ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL JUSTICE

The Church leaders expressed concern about the impact of economic developments on ordinary South Africans. "Rising food prices and the energy crisis we are facing are manifestations of economic policy choices made by the government," said the Rev. Desmond Lesejane, Director of the Ecumenical Service for Socio-Economic Transformation. "We cannot sustain a nation -- or a world -- where some people fail to realise the need to live in balance with God's laws." The SACC General Secretary noted that the Council's NEC would be considering a more extensive resolution on energy and the environment at its meeting next week.

For more information, contact: Mr. Eddie Makue, SACC General Secretary (082 853 8781)