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Episcopal Divinity School offering peace pins with names of Iraqi children
2003-037-1
2/20/2003
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[Episcopal News Service]
Bishop Steven Charleston, president and dean of the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has announced a 'call to conscience' action in response to the growing crisis between the United States and Iraq.
EDS has created a series of peace pins that include the name of an Iraqi child and a dove to serve as a visible reminder of the human cost of armed conflict. 'As a Christian community of faith with a long tradition of serving both the church and the world through the ministries of justice and reconciliation, the Episcopal Divinity School offers this call to conscience in response to the current crisis between the United States and Iraq,' said Charleston. 'We invite all persons who share our commitment to peace to join us in wearing the name of an Iraqi child next to their heart.'
The genesis of the peace pin came at a staff meeting earlier this month. Seeking to do more than issue a statement of opposition to war with Iraq, Charleston envisioned the peace pin as a more interactive way for members of the EDS community to express their feelings. Recognizing that Iraqi children will be at grave risk during a war between the United States and Iraq, the school obtained the names and ages of children who could serve as living symbols of a common humanity.
'These children are a constant reminder of the inhumanity of war. By naming them aloud, we seek to name the truth of senseless conflict,' Charleston said. 'We seek to put a face to helpless victims at risk of being dehumanized as ‘enemies' who suffer only ‘collateral damage.' We seek to hold ourselves accountable for the pain and suffering we will cause in the lives of innocent children. By wearing their names next to our hearts, we keep them in a state of constant prayer, asking God/Allah to protect them from harm. We also wear their names as a pledge of our resistance to war and a visible sign of our dedication to peace. Will you join us?'
(If interested, contact the Episcopal Divinity School at peacepins@episdivschool.edu or call 617-868-3450, ext. 377. You will receive a small pin with a child's name on it and a card with this brief prayer: 'Oh God, Oh Allah, in your great mercy protect this child from all harm and grant to children everywhere the blessings of peace now and forever more. Amen.')
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