WCC NEWS: Join an Easter prayer for peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula

The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) has published a “2023 Easter Prayer for Peace and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula”, an annual observance which carries special significance this year, 70 years after the Korean War ceasefire established by the 1953 Armistice Agreement. Jooeun Kim of the Presbyterian Church of Korea strikes a gong to begin a morning prayer service at the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, held in Karlsruhe, Germany, 6 September 2022. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC 05 April 2023 “As tensions continue to rise on the Korean Peninsula, we, as Christians from the North and the South, come together in prayer,” reads the text. “We ask for your grace and mercy through the resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ.” Invoking the spirit of reconciliation, the prayer however observes that “Rather than pursuing the path to peace, we have chosen to engage in accusations and slander towards each other and persist in conducting war exercises, which only serves to aggravate misunderstanding and hostility.” The prayer laments the fact that “For over 70 years, the two Koreas have remained divided, unable to heal the wounds and pain of the past.” The prayer also urges the building of trust. “We earnestly hope that trust may be restored once again between the North and the South,” reads the text. “God, May the spirit of love that fills our hearts with joy also move us towards reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula!” The prayer urges dialogue and understanding. “May the Korean Peninsula become a place of coexistence and a land of life, rather than a battlefield of violence and destruction,” it pleads. “As we mark the 70th anniversary of the 1953 Korea Armistice Agreement, which unfortunately did not formally end the war, we are committed to continuing our journey towards building a sustainable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula that replaces the Armistice Agreement.” Peter Prove, WCC Director of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, recalled the long history of international ecumenical support and accompaniment of the search for sustainable peace and reunification of the divided Korean people. “After 70 long years of a suspended state of war, formally drawing a line under that tragic conflict is long overdue” he said, supporting the NCCK campaign for a peace treaty to replace the Armistice Agreement. “It is time, finally, to commit to sustained dialogue on the current realities on the peninsula, and to a step-by-step approach to building trust and constructing a sustainable peace in the region, rather than the recurrent cycles of perilously escalating confrontation.” 2023 Easter Prayer for Peace and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula WCC supports Korean churches in the Korea Peace Appeal campaign (WCC news release, 13 March 2023)   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 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. 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