Right Rev. Hamish Galloway, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) has called for Lenten prayers for Ukraine, joining other NZ church leaders in a statement of solidarity calling for the aggression to end and the peaceful solutions to begin.
“In a region that learnt the devastating lessons of war last century, the pattern has the tragic possibility of repeating. It flies in the face of much of the progress in peaceful coexistence that Europe has made in recent decades,” they said in the joint press statement, adding that the invasion of Ukraine also runs counter to the Jesus-values of peace-making, which calls for de-escalation, peace talks, humility and kindness.
In closing, the PCANZ Moderator added a call to prayer for the Church, in support of the call Pope Francis made for Christians worldwide to devote themselves to prayer and fasting for peace on Ash Wednesday this year.
Click here to read the joint press statement.