WCC condemns Brussels museum shootings

The WCC condemned the May 24 attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels, resulting in the deaths of four persons including two Israeli citizens.

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Dr Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, has condemned the 24 May attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels which resulted in the deaths of four persons including two Israeli citizens.

“This brutal attack on visitors to a museum paying tribute to the Jewish people and their history reflects the frightening and unacceptable increase of intolerance and violence against minorities in Europe,” Tveit, a Norwegian Lutheran pastor said from Geneva where the WCC is headquartered.

While the motive for the Brussels killings remains unclear, Tveit said “We call on all churches and all people of faith in Europe and around the world to pray for the families of the victims of this shooting and to renew the struggle against anti-Semitism and intolerance everywhere.”

“We also call on the authorities in Belgium to find and bring the perpetrator to justice,” he said.

Tveit’s condemnation joins with a statement from the general secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), Rev. Guy Liagre, also released on Monday, in which he says that “churches need to state their commitment to oppose all forms of anti-Semitism in society and stand with the Jewish community as they deal with the consequences of this heinous crime.”

As many of the CEC churches are WCC member churches, “with these statements, our member churches and brothers and sisters in Europe and around the world are encouraged to join the pilgrimage of justice and peace in rejecting anti-Semitism and all forms of intolerance and violence,” Tveit said.

CEC condemns shooting atthe Jewish Museum in Brussels (CEC press release of 26 May 2014)

Press statement from the United Protestant Church ofBelgium (in French)