NCC Calls for Peace Vigils to Commemorate Iraq War

By Pauline J. Chang, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, February 18, 2004

The National Council of Churches, the largest ecumenical body in the U.S., called upon people of all faiths to join together in a time of commemoration and peaceful reflection to the first anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, Feb. 17, 2004.

“The first anniversary of the start of the Iraq War will be a time for people across the United States -- indeed, around the globe -- to take stock, to mourn the dead, to pray for all affected by the war and by the decades of dictatorship and sanctions that preceded the war, and to direct their energies toward a more peaceful future,” the NCCUSA website said.

The NCC recommendation encouraged houses of worship to commemorate the March 20 anniversary by holding peace vigils sometime during the weekend of March 19-21.

The NCC USA, founded in 1950, is an ecumenical group with 36 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox member bodies that represent more than 50 million persons in 140,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

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