11.12.2009

Appeal for world peace presented in Turku

Yllä:  The joint appeal on behalf of world peace and humanity made by church leaders reminded us that the practical realisation of children’s rights still falters everywhere in a world.

Yllä: Soprano Pia Freund

Yllä: Mrs Rehn donated to the City of Turku a medal that she had received when leaving her task as leader of the United Nations peacekeeping operation.

The ceremony of Ecumenical Christmas in Turku, Finland, once again filled Turku Cathedral, for the sixteenth time. For hundreds of Turku residents participating in the event has become a new tradition and a way of preparing to receive the message of Christmas. 

In honour of the 20th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children were a special focus of the Ecumenical Christmas message this year.

The joint appeal on behalf of world peace and humanity made by church leaders Archbishop Jukka Paarma of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, Archbishop Leo of the Orthodox Church in Finland, Teemu Sippo Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Helsinki and Atte Helminen, President of the Adventist Church in Finland, reminded us that the practical realisation of children’s rights still falters everywhere in a world that is increasingly unstable and dangerous

”Although human nature tends towards selfishness and violence, we cannot simply stand by and watch this injustice happen. As churches, our mission is to proclaim freedom from persecution, discrimination, poverty and other manifestations of injustice, to act as conciliators and messengers of goodwill, openness and forgiveness,” was the core message of the appeal presented by Atte Helminen.

The humanitarian message delivered by Minister Elisabeth Rehn brought tears to the eyes of many of those present in the Cathedral. Rehn talked of the flagrant violations of human rights and the crimes and wrongs committed against children that she had witnessed during her work.

”I have had the sorrowful task of witnessing the unbelievable pain to which children are subjected in warring countries. I will never forget the cold eyes of a twelve year old Congolese child soldier, expressing complete absence of hope,” said Rehn, stressing that the most important of all human rights is the right to peace and that we must act consistently to uphold that right.

Soprano Pia Freund, the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, the Turku Cathedral Choir Nova and organist Markku Hietaharju together with the youth choir of Turku Conservatory were responsible for providing music during the event.

The Ecumenical Christmas in Turku, Finland, ceremony was recorded and it will be broadcast on YLE TV1 on Christmas Eve, about an hour before the Declaration of Christmas Peace.

A medal to commemorate the occasion

It has been a tradition for the person delivering the humanitarian message to donate some article relating to peace as a memento of the occasion. Earlier in the day, Mrs Rehn donated to the City of Turku a medal that she had received when leaving her task as leader of the United Nations peacekeeping operation ten years ago.
”I am happy that during my years in Sarajevo I had the privilege to participate in rebuilding ecumenical cooperation between the religions. For this reason, I want to donate to the City of Turku as a memento, a medal depicting Sarajevo as city for all – Jewish, Islamic, Catholic and Orthodox believers,” Rehn concluded.

• Elisabeth Rehn’s Humanitarian Message (pdf 15 kb)
• Text of Church leaders’ joint appeal on behalf of world peace (pdf 98 kb)