CLAI, the ”Consejo latinoamericano de iglesias” or the Council of Latin American Churches, is an ecumenical organization with connections to several of our partner and sister organizations here in Honduras. Our partner organizations shared with us this letter written by CLAI, which we in turn share with you in order to listen to the voices of protest from the Latin American churches.
This letter, in summary, is written to President Obama expressing their opposition to U.S. military action for various reasons and supporting the claim of Pope Francis that: ”negotiations and dialogue are the only means to resolve the conflict in Syria.” They also encourage churches to join in the suggestion of Pope Francis to dedicate this Sunday, September 8, as a day of worldwide prayer for peace in Syria.
Click here for the PDF of the full letter in Spanish
CLAI also shares the following prayer as a resource in praying for peace in Syria:
Oración por la Paz/ Prayer for Peace
Oh Dios, eterno y encarnado, Trino y Uno, Señor y Salvador, / Oh God, eternal and incarnate, Triune and One, Lord and Savior
nuestro corazón anda inquieto; / our heart is restless
nuestro cuerpo, temeroso; / our body, fearful
nuestra alma, sin reposo. / our soul, without rest
Solo tú puedes darnos descanso, / only you can give us rest
solo tú puedes darnos aliento, / only you can give us support
solo tú puedes restituirnos la paz. / only you can restore peace to us.
Vivimos tiempos difíciles, vivimos días crueles. / We live in difficult times, we live in cruel days.
Danos tu amor, danos tu paz. / Give us your love, give us your peace.
Somos víctimas del terror: / We are victims of terror
de las bombas que los hombres lanzan sobre la gente, / of men that throw bombs on the people
y de los hombres-bombas que se lanzan sobre la gente. / of men-bombs that throw themselves on the people.
Vivimos tiempos difíciles, vivimos días crueles. / We live in difficult times, we live in cruel days.
Danos tu amor, danos tu paz. / Give us your love, give us your peace.
Somos víctimas de la ganancia: / We are victims of profit:
de la cultura de la droga que nos imponen / of the drug culture they impose on us
y de la droga de la cultura que nos dan. / of the culture drug they give us.
Vivimos tiempos difíciles, vivimos días crueles. / We live in difficult times, we live in cruel days.
Danos tu amor, danos tu paz. / Give us your love, give us your peace.
Somos víctimas del odio: / We are victims of hate:
de la violencia congestionada en el tránsito / of violence congested in traffic
y del libre tránsito de la violencia. / of the free traffic of violence.
Vivimos tiempos difíciles, vivimos días crueles. / We live in difficult times, we live in cruel days.
Danos tu amor, danos tu paz. / Give us your love, give us your peace.
Señor de la paz, haznos bienaventurados; / Lord of Peace, make us blessed (masculine)
Señor de la paz, haznos bienaventuradas. / Lord of Peace, make us blessed (feminine)
Pacifícanos el alma, pacifícanos el espíritu, pacifícanos el cuerpo. / Give us peace in the soul, Give us peace in the spirit, give us peace in the body.
Que haya paz para todas las naciones: / May there be peace for all nations:
del Norte, del Sur, del Oriente y del Occidente. / of the North, the South, the East, and the West.
Que haya paz para todos los pueblos: / May there be peace for all peoples:
blancos y negros, rojos y amarillos. / white and black, red and yellow.
Que haya paz para todos los hombres, / May there be peace for all men
que haya paz para todas las mujeres, / May there be peace for all women
que haya paz para todos los niños. / May there be peace for all children.
Que la Suprema Paz esté sobre toda paz. / May the Supreme Peace be over all peace.
Amén.
(Luiz Carlos Ramos, Brasil) – Red de Liturgia del CLAI
Join this body of Latin American churches in prayer this Sunday for peace in Syria.