Prayer and liturgy offer year-long accompaniment to help resolve conflict
by Scott O’Neill | Presbyterian News Service
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines gathered Sept. 1 for a Day of Prayer for Just Peace. (Contributed photo)
LOUISVILLE — While the Sept. 1 Day of Prayer for Just Peace in the Philippines has passed, a new set of resources and prayers is available to help congregations and individuals support peace year-round among Filipinos, and push for a resolution of the armed conflict on the island country in southeast Asia.
The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), a global partner with PC(USA), provided the resources. They ask for support for the resumption of peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
The resources can be viewed and downloaded off the World Mission’s Philippines country page here.
They include:
- A letter from the NCCP
- A background document on the Day of Prayer
- Prayer for a Just Peace — English and Tagalog versions
- Liturgy for a Just Peace — English and Spanish
In addition, Ms. Minnie Anne Mata-Calub, general secretary for the NCCP, shared more information in a video message to its global partners.
In the message, Mata-Calub notes that the most vulnerable communities have suffered internal displacement and human rights violations. In November last year, the GRP and the NDFP released a joint statement indicating the possible resumption of peace negotiations. The NCCP believes that both parties returning to the negotiating table can mitigate loss of life and the continued propagation of human rights violations.
“But since the joint statement was released, both sides have made no further announcements regarding any developments in the peace process,” Mata-Calub says in the video. “Meanwhile, violations of human rights and international humanitarian law related to the government’s counter-insurgency program continue unabated. The NCCP is persistent and optimistic in advocating for the resumption of the peace negotiations; for as agreements are reached in key issues, such as in socio-economic and political reforms, the foundations of peace are strengthened, and the blueprint for a more just future is set.”
Sept. 1 is significant because of the signing of The Hague Joint Declaration in 1992 in The Hague, The Netherlands, by representatives of the GRP and the NDFP. The Declaration document set the objective of the peace negotiations: attaining a just and lasting peace by addressing the roots of the armed conflict and thereby resolving it.
It is the hope of the NCCP that beyond the Day of Prayer for Just Peace the new prayers and resources can inform its ecumenical partners and Presbyterians throughout the year to heed Jesus’ call to become peacemakers.
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