Living Letters solidarity visit to Myanmar

28 October to 3 November 2010

 

A team of church representatives from Europe, Canada and Asia paid a Living Letters solidarity visit to churches, ecumenical organizations and civil society movements in Myanmar from 28 October to 3rd November 2010. This delegation was sent by the World Council of Churches (WCC) as a sign of international ecumenical solidarity.

The focus of the seven-day long visit was on the Myanmar churches' witness to just peace in a context of dictatorship by the ruling military junta, as well as political unrest and repeated outbreaks of conflicts that the country has faced over the past decades.

Living Letters are small ecumenical teams visiting a country to listen, learn, share approaches and help to confront challenges in order to overcome violence, promote and pray for peace.

The WCC Living Letters delegation to Myanmar was composed of the following:

International delegates:

  • Ms Berit Hagen Agøy, General Secretary, Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations, Norway

  • Mr Graham McGeoch, WCC Central Committee member, Church of Scotland, United Kingdom

  • Ms Gloria Kalpona Sarker, Department of Women, National Council of Churches of Bangladesh, Bangladesh

  • Canon Rev. Canon John Steele, Anglican Church of Canada, Canada

  • Mr Charlie Ocampo, Christian Conference of Asia, Australia

Local delegate:

  • Rev. Saw Shwe Lin, General Secretary of the Myanmar Council of Churches

WCC staff:

  • Ms Tara Tautari, New Zealand

  • Ms Ani Ghazaryan, Armenia