Lutheran head assures Zimbabwean churches of solidarity

In a pastoral letter addressed to the heads of churches in Zimbabwe, the President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Bishop Mark S Hanson, has expressed the Lutheran communion's solidarity and support toward Zimbabweans in
in the midst of the ongoing political and economic crisis.

"Through the participation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Zimbabwe (ELCZ), the entire worldwide Lutheran communion is
standing and working together with you in this struggle," wrote
Hanson in the mid-July letter to all heads of churches in the
country.

At its recent meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, the LWF Council
requested the president's pastoral letter to the churches as an
expression of the "LWF's hope and trust that God cares for and
would save the suffering people of Zimbabwe."

Hanson is presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America.

His pastoral letter affirms the churches' efforts in helping
people whose livelihoods had been undermined by the economic
crisis, and who have faced violence and intimidation. "I applaud
your initiatives to promote peace and to advocate for justice,
especially where such initiatives have been taken ecumenically,
as the common position of the churches in Zimbabwe."

The LWF president cited the Council's public statement on
Zimbabwe, and final resolutions, through which it called "for
an immediate end to political violence and repression" and the
restoration of democracy.

The LWF governing body also condemned "the attacks on Zimbabweans for exercising their right of democratic choice" as contrary to the purpose of the nation's
struggle for liberation from colonial rule. It urged the establishment of a peace building process involving all actors at
national, regional and international level.

"The LWF stands ready to support the people of Zimbabwe in
rebuilding their nation and in restoring their hopes of a life in
dignity and justice," Hanson added.


African Union, SADC

In related advocacy also requested by the Council, LWF General
Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko has urged Africa's political
leaders to take a more active role in promoting human security in
Zimbabwe and "in encouraging a political transition back to the
democracy that the people of Zimbabwe have a right to expect."

In letters addressed separately to the African Union (AU), the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) and to South
Africa, Noko recalled the Council's affirmation of the crucial
role of regional responses to Zimbabwe's crisis.

He urged the AU chairperson, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, and his SADC counterpart, Zambian President Levy P Mwanawasa, to further increase their efforts "to promote a return to genuine democracy in Zimbabwe and to avoid even worse suffering for its people."

Noko said the situation in Zimbabwe "is a moral challenge to all
Africans and presents a critical test of the effectiveness of the
institutions that have been created to promote peace, democracy,
political stability and economic prosperity in Africa". The history of institutions such as the AU and SADC would be "indelibly stained" if they were unable to act quickly and effectively "to confront the obvious crisis in Zimbabwe', he wrote.

In the letter to South African President Thabo Mbeki, the LWF
general secretary said he recognized "the exceptional
sensitivity, complexity and risk involved" in South Africa's
mediation role between the parties in Zimbabwe.

"But ultimately, your priority - and the priority of all Africans and the whole international community - is for the welfare of the people of
Zimbabwe rather than the rivalries and ambitions of its leaders,"
added Noko.