Nordic churches express solidarity with those suffering in Gaza

Gaza. File Photo: courtesy of DSPR-MECC

Source: WCC

Nordic churches-including the those in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Finland-have released statements calling for restoring the ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, releasing hostages, delivering food and medicine to Gaza, and ending violence against the Palestinian population of the West Bank.

A statement from Bishops' Conference of the Church of Norway, said that we cannot remain silent when individuals are stripped of their humanity. "We are disturbed by, and condemn, the unfolding events in Gaza," reads the statement.

"We hear the call from our Palestinian brothers and sisters in faith, urging us as a church to rise up against the abuses taking place before our eyes."

The National Council of Churches in Denmark, also in a statement, called for an end to hostilities and access to humanitarian aid. "The National Council of Churches in Denmark wishes to express its deepest compassion for both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples," the statement reads.

"We are appalled by the renewed acts of war in Israel and Palestine, which we believe go far beyond proportional response."

The statement reiterates calls for an end to hostilities and an end to the killing of civilians, the release of hostages, and the opening of access for humanitarian aid to Gaza.

"As Christian churches, we proclaim the gospel that God has created all people with the same infinite worth," reads the statement. "This must be reflected in a framework that ensures peace, security, equal rights, and living conditions for all."

The Bishops of the Church of Sweden, in a statement, declared that the war has long since gone beyond all reasonable proportionality. "For the sake of Palestine, Israel, and the whole world, we urge the government of Israel to use the opportunity of the powerful to stop the violence in Gaza and the West Bank," the statement reads. "We call upon the international community, the EU, and the Swedish government to step up their efforts to save lives. All human beings are created in God's image and have equal value and dignity."

In joint statement from their annual meeting, taking place this year on 22-23 May, the 27 member churches of the Christian Council of Sweden urged respect for human dignity as well as international law. "We join the global ecumenical movement in calling for an immediate ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to be allowed access without delay, and for all hostages to be released," the statement reads.

"It is time for God's peace. We pray for it and want to continue to work for it, in Gaza and all of Palestine, in Israel and in the world at large," they conclude.

Bishops in Finland also appealed for peace, an immediate ceasefire, and a lifting of the blockade.

"The human catastrophe is extreme," the statement reads. "More than a million people are estimated to be malnourished and for almost half a million of them the situation is critical."

Icelandic bishops stress the moral responsibility to speak and act: "Violence… can never bring resolution-violence itself is the problem."

Representatives of local churches and nongovernmental organizations in Uppsala also published a "Declaration regarding the Plight of the Palestinian People," specially formulated during the Ecumenical Year 2025, "A Time for God's Peace," 1700 years after the formation of the Nicene Creed began.

Churches and organizations supporting Palestinian Christians gathered under the theme "Time for God's Peace - Palestinian Perspectives." Nearly 200 people came together to hear the stories of Palestinian Christians.

"We are an integral part of the Palestinian people," reads the declaration.

"We confess that all life, all people, all land, all vegetation, all seas and waters are gifts from God," reads the declaration. "Earth, sea, and land belong to no one."

All have the right, as children of God, to call the earth their home, the declaration reads. "No one has the right to drive the Palestinian people- or any other people-from their homes," reads the text. "We profess our faith in Jesus Christ, master of the way of nonviolence, the path to justice, peace, and reconciliation."

The declaration came out of a gathering during which churches hosted Palestinian Christians with roots in Gaza.