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Palm Sunday Peace Service

Does anyone care about the war in Iraq anymore? Is anyone else worried about Australia’s role in the coalition of the willing (or as Joe Camilleri put it yesterday the coalition of the killing)? How are we going to stop violence in our world if our own country is participating actively in it?
These are questions that were asked at the Ecumenical Palm Sunday peace rally on Sunday as people gathered in the name of peace, inspired by the path that Jesus trod on the way to Jerusalem. Joe Camilleri Professor of Politics, La Trobe University spoke to us about the global context of war and peace asking the question of how long will we allow our country to remain actively at war in Iraq. It was the weekend of the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and asked the question "What if we said it will only be one more year?" What if we could come together to make a change and ask for peace instead of war?

The questions were big and the answers seemed bigger until the Young Ambassadors for Peace from Ambon (Indonesia), Solomon Islands and Burma got up showing us how they’ve started the work. In countries of conflict they told us how it starts by changing your own heart to peace and then showing others. All of them spoke of a hatred that changed after they met their enemies, ate, learnt and eventually laughed with them through the Young Ambassadors for Peace Uniting Church program.

Inspiring stuff that brought home the value of doing it together!
(More about the Young Ambassadors for Peace in moreexperiences)

Caz Coleman
Social Justice Officer