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Intercessions for oppressed and persecuted Christians
EKD publishes a resource booklet for Reminiscere Sunday (March 20)
January 18, 2011
For Reminiscere Sunday, the second Sunday in Lent, which this year will be on March 20, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) recommends that intercessions again focus on oppressed and persecuted Christians. For the occasion, the EKD in Hanover today published a resource booklet containing background information and liturgical modules. This year's booklet devotes particular attention to the situation of Christians in the Indian state of Orissa, who in 2007 and 2008 were victims of an exceptional wave of anti-Christian violence.
"We can learn about trust and hope from our brothers and sisters around the world who are oppressed and persecuted because of their faith, either by governments or by terrorist factions," wrote EKD Council chair Präses Niklaus Schneider in his introduction to this year's day of prayer. "In too many places and too often, Christians must fear for their lives. The spectrum of oppression is broad. In some places attending Sunday worship has become a life-threatening adventure; in others administrative and legal harassment complicates the lives of believers," Schneider also said.
The situation of Christians in the Indian state of Orissa following a series of attacks in 2007 and 2008 continues to be difficult. The underlying tensions are fueled by several sources-linguistic and ethnic differences, the persistence of caste segregation despite official abolishment of the caste system, poverty and injustice, political calculations and even religious affiliation. This mix of causes differs from one region of India to another and generates diverse realities in this very large country. In Orissa, Christians are not the only ones to suffer; members of other religious minorities such as Muslims and Buddhists are also the targets of repression on the part of Hindu nationalist fundamentalists.
The resource materials and background information about the situation in India for formulating intercessions may be downloaded at http://www.ekd.de/fuerbitte. Since last year, the central theme of intercessions at worship services on Reminiscere Sunday have been oppressed and persecuted Christians. The impetus came from the EKD Synod. Reminiscere Sunday owes its name to verse 6 of Psalm 25: "Be mindful (in Latin: reminiscere), O Lord, of your steadfast love."
Hanover, January 18, 2011
Press Office of the EKD
Silke Römhild