Kobia leads World Council of Churches in quest for peace
Kobia leads World Council of Churches in quest for peace
May 17, 2004
By Linda Bloom*
The Rev. Samuel Kobia
The Rev. Samuel Kobia
NEW
YORK (UMNS) - The leader of the World Council of Churches believes his
organization can help the United Nations bring peace to troubled regions
of the world.
When
the Rev. Samuel Kobia, a Methodist from Kenya, meets with Kofi Annan,
the U.N.'s secretary-general, on May 17, he intends to discuss conflicts
in places such as Sudan, Iraq and the Middle East.
"I
want us to look at how the political and moral come together and where
we could complement each other's work," Kobia explained during a May 14
press conference at the Church Center for the United Nations. He became
the chief executive at the beginning of 2004, after serving the
ecumenical body in other positions over the years.
The
World Council of Churches is in the midst of its Decade to Overcome
Violence, which calls churches, ecumenical organizations and people of
good will to embrace creative approaches to peace building; collaborate
with local communities to cultivate a culture of peace; and walk with
people systematically oppressed by violence. The United Methodist Church
is an active member of the council.
Each
year, the decade has a different geographical focus. The 2002 focus on
the Middle East, for example, resulted in the establishment of an
ecumenical accompaniment program in Israel and the Palestinian
territories. "Each year, we have no less than 20 to 24 people from
around the world who go to Israel and Palestine just to be there with
the people," Kobia said.
In
2003, the focus was on Sudan, where Kobia had been involved in peace
talks since 1991. The conflict there primarily involves an Islamic
militia backed by the government, which is based in the north, and
Christian, animist and more moderate Muslim groups in the Darfur region.
When
Kobia met last October with the principal negotiators in Sudan's peace
talks, the discussions gave him reason for optimism. "I had hoped by the
end of last year the comprehensive peace agreement would have been
signed," he said.
Sticking
points, he believes, include the status of a contested area in the
oil-rich south; the status of the capital city of Khartoum, which is
under Muslim sharia law; and control over a mountainous area in the
north that is occupied mostly by Christians.
Of
most concern, he said, is the situation in the Darfur region. "All
indicators show that this is almost a genocide in the making," Kobia
explained. "We have reports from our contacts on the ground that
massacres are going on."
On
May 7, the United Methodist General Conference, the denomination's top
legislative body, passed a resolution expressing concern over the
humanitarian crisis in the Sudan, where an estimated 2 million people
have been killed by war and famine and another 5 million displaced
during the past five years.
The
resolution deplored the use of government-sponsored violence there and
called upon church agencies, as well as individual members, to monitor
the situation and use all available means to urge an international
response to the crisis. The United Methodist Committee on Relief has
established an emergency fund for Sudanese refugees in Chad.
In
2004, the focus for the Decade to Overcome Violence is on the United
States - in part, because of the nation's historical struggle with
violence and history of nonviolent movements, its enormous global
influence and the role that its churches play in promoting social
change.
Through
special events and interfaith contacts, the World Council of Churches
is working to promote an understanding of the situations and challenges
that confront U.S. churches as they carry out peace and justice witness;
solidarity with churches in their efforts to overcome violence; and
celebration as a way of supporting peace.
"I'm
going to get involved more and more in what the churches and
communities in the United States are doing to overcome violence," Kobia
said. He wants to build on the type of nonviolent approach to conflict
advocated by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., he said.
*Bloom
is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
News media contact: Linda Bloom · (646) 369-3759 or newdesk@umcom.org.