Press statement on the Church's response to the xenophobic attacks in Southern Africa

This afternoon the Consultation of Christian Churches in Cape Town issued the following statement to the Press. A challenge was issued to all Christiana across South Africa to stop and pray for 5 minutes each day at 12.00 noon, asking God to help us in this critical time in our nation's history. Archbishop Thabo Makgoba read the folllowing statement:

"We, as a body of concerned Church leaders in Cape Town, and representing a considerable majority of Christian citizens in this city and nation:

Taking into account the very real social, economic and racial complexities in the city

Note the very real concerns around the scourges of HIV, AIDS, poverty, crime and corruption

Conscious of the very real tensions that exist in the townships of this nation and

Mindful of how the people of Africa took in, cared, for supported and encouraged us in the dark days of Apartheid

Remind Christian citizens in our nation that God's Word, the Bible, commands that we care for, demonstrate compassion for, and support the foreigners who live among us. We are appalled at the violence that has wracked our city in the past days, and are shamed by the despicable treatment of men, women and children, and the theft and vandalising of property, by some of our citizens.

According to the dictionary an alien is: a resident born in or belonging to another country who has not acquired citizenship by naturalization, as distinguished from a citizen; a person who has been estranged or excluded. It also means an unnaturalized foreign resident of a country; a person from another and very different family, people, or place; a person who is not included in a group; an outsider.

We are aware that many of our people, once unwelcome in this the land of their birth, were treated kindly and generously by the peoples of the nations of Africa; at one time or another, many of our people lived in counties where they fitted the above descriptions of aliens, strangers and foreigners. Yet, despite this, they were treated well.

As Christians, we embrace the Old Testament teaching about strangers and aliens who are described as (1.) Those who were strangers generally, and who owned no landed property. (2.) Foreigners dwelling in another country without being naturalized. So the Holy Scripture says in Ps. 39:12: 12 "Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were.

Both of these classes of alien were to enjoy the same rights as other citizens, and God's people were commanded to show them kindness "as to their own". In Lev. 19:33, 34 we read "'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. And in Deut. 10:19 we read 19 ?And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.

Turning to the New Testament, we remember that in sending his Son to live among us, God entered an alien environment. The brutal treatment that Jesus received at our hands should act as a permanent reminder to those of us who belong to Christ not to mistreat or oppress those who are foreigners among us.

We must also remember that we were once aliens and foreigners from God's Kingdom. In Eph. 2:12 we are urged to "remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world." Yet, God did not reject us, but reached out to us to include us in his covenant of grace.

Accordingly, we call on citizens of our nation:

To remember the kindness and generosity show to us by the people of Africa during the dark days of the struggle

To respond in kind by helping those who have been displaced by the current violence with shelter, blankets, food and any other assistance that may be required

To give thanks for the hospitality shown to our people in those days and for the kindness which has been shown in certain quarters to those seeking help and refuge in these difficult times

To respect the rights and dignity of all people to who are resident in this country, irrespective of colour, creed, language or nationality, to enjoy safety and security

To refrain from immediately from attacking, persecuting or damaging the property of any person considered an alien, foreigner or stranger

To seek ways in which, together with those from other countries, the social, political, economic and racial challenges of our country might be addressed

We also recognize that the tragic situation unfolding in our nation serves as a timely and ominous warning of the growing frustration of the poor & marginalized with the pace of delivery.

We further call on President Thabo Mbeki and our government to rapidly increase the pace of delivery and services in South Africa and to significantly increase efforts to bring justice, stability and peace to the suffering people of Zimbabwe.

We offer ourselves to serve and help mediate between estranged communities or groupings, and call upon all to refrain from either initiating or reacting to, violence against any other person.

On behalf of the CCC Church Leaders' Action Group."