Statement from the Bishop in Europe on the Kosovo crisis
The refugees from Kosovo and the victims of the bombing campaign prove that no one has a monopoly on human suffering. Please God may this awful tragedy soon be over. The task of rebuilding peace, confidence and justice in Europe will then have to begin. This will not be easy, but we can all make a start by resisting the current tendency to demonise whole groups of people or to condemn them for the actions of their political leaders. My heart goes out to all caught up in the conflict and not least to members of our own Anglican congregation in Belgrade.
Further information from the Bishop's Press Officer:
The Revd Rob Marshall
Tel: 0171 584 6622
Fax: 0171 584 1960
Email: pr@rpm33rpm.u-net.com
Yugoslav Crisis
If you wish to contribute to the immediate relief of Kosovan refugees, you are invited to make a donation to the Kosovo Crisis Appeal. The appeal is being run by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) which is made up of twelve UK based charities:
The British Red Cross,
Oxfam,
CAFOD,
Save the Children,
Help the Aged,
Care International,
Christian Aid,
Concern Worldwide,
Children's Aid Direct,
Merlin,
Tearfund,
World Vision.
Credit and debit card donations can be made by telephoning 0870 60-60-900 (UK number).
Cheques can be made payable to the Kosovo Crisis Appeal can be sent to:
The Kosovo Crisis Appeal,
PO Box 999,
London, EC4A 9AA
UK
The URL for the web site to visit for further information about the Appeal is:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_312000/312758.stm
£5 will buy two winter blankets
£30 will feed three families for one month
£100 will buy a family tent, which can accommodate up to six people.
When the war in Yugoslavia is over, among the many projects needing support will be the reconstruction of the Anglican community in Belgrade. Contributions to this work should be made to the Bishop in Europe's Discretionary Fund and sent to:
Bishop's Lodge,
Church Road,
Worth, Crawley,
West Sussex RH10 7RT
UK
St Mary's Church, Anglican Chaplaincy, Belgrade Easter Sunday 1999
The sermon given by Mr Igor Solunac on Easter Sunday, 4 April 1999.
Today, for the first time in my life, I greet Easter Day with fear and sorrow. I am very anxious about the future of our world and the future of all of us present here. It seems to me that Jesus was right when he predicted all the troubles that were to come. Through history we see all of his prophecies and promises fulfilled and that shows us two simple truths. He knew and he cared.
I believe that there can be no excuse for what people do today. Today is the last Easter before 2000 years of Christianity and you all know what is happening in this country and all over the world. The innocent people die, Christian churches are either silent or not loud enough, humanitarian organisations function as if they do not exist and evil seems to be overwhelmingly strong and all-controlling. Tragedies we listen about, and what we see on TV, hear on the radio, or read on the Internet, lead us nowhere. Very often, when people ask me where I find my shelter, solutions to my problems or fulfilment of my desires, I say that there is only one person who can achieve that in my life and that is Christ. If you need someone to love you, He will love you because he is Love. If you need someone to enlighten your way, He will enlighten it for you, because he is Light.
In the Old Testament reading from the book of Isaiah we find: Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
In the New Testament reading: When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid".
In the Gospel reading: But the angel said to the women "Do not be afraid" and again: "Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid'" Why should one not be afraid? Because God is in control even when it seems that He is not. Jesus had known that he would be crucified on Friday but also that He would rise from the dead on Sunday. That did not mean not being afraid, for he had been very sad and scared before the Crucifixion, but He knew even while being nailed to the cross that it would be over soon and that he would rise.
Never before that Sunday did the Sun shine so brightly. The Lifegiver and the Life himself rose from the grave giving new light to all of nature. We who are baptised in his name know that we died with Him and that we will live with Him as well. St Paul, who had seen the risen Christ appearing to him on the road to Damascus, later wrote many letters and revealed in them many mysteries. I do not yet completely comprehend the meanings of statements such as: Christ is all and in all, or that we live no longer but Christ lives in us, but one thing I do understand. After his resurrection He filled the whole universe with himself and I know that we are safe. Christ is our God! He is risen! Let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia!
Added note:
Our Easter service was interrupted by an air raid warning siren. Our hearts beat a little faster but we carried on. The building 200metres away had been hit two nights earlier. It was somewhere else's turn this time.