WCC NEWS: WCC offers prayer for the nation of Ethiopia

World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca led a prayer for love, peace and kindness for the nation of Ethiopia during a service at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York on 19 June. Prayer service at the St. Mary's cathedral of Ethiopian Orthodox church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 2017. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 21 June 2021 The recorded prayer was presented at the service, hosted by people and organizations working for peace in Ethiopia, including the Institute of Semitic Studies. “May your peace, given in Christ, be made real in the midst of tension, disagreement, heartbreak and devastation,” prayed Sauca. “May your peace, that surpasses human understanding, be shed abroad in the hearts of all Ethiopians.” The prayer also urges calm among the chaos that has unfolded in different communities throughout the nation of Ethiopia. “God of all, we pray for the softening of people’s hearts one to the other, so that the hungry will be fed, the naked clothed, the needs of all are met,” Sauca prayed. “Bring healing to all who are sick and hospitalized, especially those who have become infected with COVID-19; may those who care for sick and dying not grow weary in well-doing.” The prayer asks for wisdom for leaders at all levels. “May those who have taken up arms in anger, revenge or even in the cause of justice, be converted to embrace the pathway of peace through hopeful dialogue and constructive collaboration,” the prayer concluded. “Grant, merciful God, we pray, peace in the nation of Ethiopia, so that there will be a return to the normalcy of daily living, without fear." Prayer for the nation of Ethiopia Video of the prayer WCC member churches in Ethiopia   See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland