AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER

* NIGERIA: SIX PASTORS KILLED, 40 CHURCHES RAZED IN CONTINUING VIOLENCE

* SRI LANKA’S FORGOTTEN WAR – A CALL FOR GLOBAL CHURCH ADVOCACY

* RECORD BREAKING UN AID APPEAL LAUNCHED

* CHOLERA OUTBREAK CAUSES HAVOC IN ZIMBABWE

* PRAYING CHILDREN CONFRONT WORST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF PAKISTAN

* 5.4 MILLION NAMES SUBMITTED TO UN IN FAVOUR OF FAMILIES AND THE RIGHT TO LIFE

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NIGERIA: SIX PASTORS KILLED, 40 CHURCHES RAZED IN CONTINUING VIOLENCE

The rioting sparked by recent Muslim attacks on Christians and their property left six pastors dead, at least 500 other people killed and 40 churches destroyed, according to church leaders. More than 25,000 persons have been displaced in the violence, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). What began as outrage over suspected vote fraud in local elections quickly hit the religious fault line between the Islamic north and Christian south, as angry Muslims took aim at Christian sites rather than at political targets.

Police and troops reportedly killed about 400 rampaging Muslims in an effort to quell the unrest, including a Muslim assault on a police barracks, and Islamists shot, slashed or stabbed to death most of more than 100 Christians. Christians tried to defend their lives and properties, and non-Muslim youths reportedly began retaliatory attacks on Muslims, mosques and Muslim houses in the early morning. The Nigerian military arrived before noon to try to rein in the mayhem, which continued into the night.

The Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, Roman Catholic archbishop of Jos Archdiocese and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, said in a statement that fanatical Muslims ignited the violence by attacking Christians. “We were greatly taken aback by the turn of events in Jos – we thought it was a political issue, but from all indications it is not so,” he said. “We were surprised at the way some of our churches and properties were attacked and some of our faithful and clergy killed. The attacks were carefully planned and executed.

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Edward Pwajok said in a statement that 500 persons had been arrested in connection with the violence, and that they will appear for trial at the High Court of Justice and Magistrates’ Courts.

Source: Intercessors Network

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SRI LANKA’S FORGOTTEN WAR – A CALL FOR GLOBAL CHURCH ADVOCACY

In Sri Lanka, the conflict between the army and Tamil rebels has caught the civilian population between a rock and a hard place. For several years, a civil war in Sri Lanka has pitted a government dominated by the Sinhalese majority population against rebels who claim to defend the rights of the Tamil minority. This war is being fought at the expense of the civilian population, with displaced people held in camps that fail to provide for their basic needs, children abducted for recruitment as soldiers, and those caught in combat zones being used as human shields.

According to Rohan Edirisinha, a former Chairperson of the Commission for Justice and Peace of the National Christian Council in Sri Lanka, the militaristic approach of the current government, which seeks to impose military defeat on Tamil forces, creates doubts about the chances for a settlement. The current approach he said glorified the military. He argued that “a federal constitution with safeguards for devolution of power, and which combines shared rule with self-rule, should be the basis of a just political solution to Sri Lanka’s current war”.

The church in Sri Lanka has a responsibility in advocating for a negotiated solution. Christians make up 9% of Sri Lanka’s 19-million population. They are the only religious community which bridges the ethnic divide between the Sinhalese-speaking, predominantly Buddhist majority and the predominantly Hindu Tamils. Church unity is of particular importance to the Christian witness for peace in Sri Lanka. If the churches fail to speak with one voice, their testimony loses its force.

The need to report human rights violations to UN bodies and to governments was identified as a priority for the church in Sri Lanka. While Western countries have lost clout with the Sri Lankan government, criticism by countries that have gone through similar challenges could be particularly meaningful. Objectives for the Church should include establishing appropriate demobilization procedures for child soldiers, who currently end up in prison when captured, and a call for the UN working group to visit the country and get first-hand knowledge of the situation.

Source: World Council of Churches

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RECORD BREAKING UN AID APPEAL LAUNCHED

Amid concerns that the global financial crisis may curb the generosity of developed nations, the United Nations has launched its biggest appeal for humanitarian aid in history, with the aim of raising $US7 billion next year. The appeal comes in response to rising food prices and continued conflicts from Sudan to Iraq – resulting in millions of people being in need. A full quarter of the requested $US7 billion ($10.9 billion) is destined for Sudan but the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Iraq and the Palestinian territories can also expect to be beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke told a United Nations meeting in Rome that genetically modified (GM) crops were part of a solution to world food shortages. Mr Burke thinks that Australia should respond to the global food crisis in three ways: aid, technology transfer and increasing our productivity.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon says donor states cannot let the global financial crisis affect their generosity. Rising food prices and continued conflicts from Sudan to Iraq mean millions are in need. But it is coming in the middle of the worst global financial crisis since the 1930s and the fear among UN aid agencies is that donor countries will cut back on funding for humanitarian relief. Ban Ki Moon says that must not happen. The victims of conflict and natural disasters, he says, need stable and sustainable help.

Source: United Nations Press Release

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CHOLERA OUTBREAK CAUSES HAVOC IN ZIMBABWE

The devastating cholera outbreak continues to spread, affecting 44 out of the 61 districts in the country. The numbers of suspected cases and reported deaths have risen by 76.5% and 76.2% respectively since the previous week and now stands at 16,403 cases and 783 deaths in total. The outbreak is affecting the Southern African region as well, with the Republic of South Africa reporting 751 cumulative cases and 11 deaths with the bulk of the cases in the Limpopo area. Cases have also been reported in Botswana and Mozambique, albeit in smaller numbers.

Major causes for the current outbreak remain lack of clean drinking water and sanitation, weak health services, and health staff strike, mainly by nurses. Health staff is unable to obtain salaries from banks due to the acute shortage of banknotes, making it too burdensome and expensive to travel to work.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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PRAYING CHILDREN CONFRONT WORST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF PAKISTAN

Pakistan is facing the worst time in its history. CiP (Children in Prayer) seminars are being organized in many Christian Churches across the country and the children are requested to pray for the following:

* Incidents of Suicide bombing

* Increase in Poverty

* Financial breakdown

* Political Instability

* Churches, Ministries & Leadership

God is faithful and has started answering children’s prayers. There is a decrease in suicide bombing, the government of Pakistan is slowly stabilizing, electricity breakdowns are also decreasing and more financial stability is experienced. More churches are requesting CiP seminars. The Pakistan Sunday School Ministry (PSSM) organized CiP seminars in six different cities in October 2008. Children were asked to join together to pray for these issues. During the seminars the children are taught how to lay their hands on each prayer point and pray over them.

Source: Pakistan Sunday School Ministry

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5.4 MILLION NAMES SUBMITTED TO UN IN FAVOUR OF FAMILIES AND THE RIGHT TO LIFE

On December 10th two Members of the European Parliament, Anna Zaborska and Carlo Casini held a press conference to announce that 5.4 million families had sent a petition to the UN, calling it to interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as protecting the unborn child and the family. Pro-family leaders from many movements presented the petition to the Gabon Ambassador to the Holy See, Firmin Mboutsou, as well as to other UN ambassadors in order to be distributed among UN delegates.

“The family is a cultural anchor universal to all cultures.” Said Zaborska. She concluded: “The family is where we learn that the authentic role of the state is to serve its people; and not to reinvent humanity along the lines of some artificial ideology: The first and last sign of the approach of totalitarianism is the collapse of the family. We promote the family because it is the primary repository of love in our society.”

Source: Christian Newswire

December 22, 2008