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ELCA Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada National Bishop Larry Kochendorfer and Henrik Stubkjær, bishop of Viborg in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, have issued a joint statement in support of the Greenlandic people “in an unusually difficult situation,” they said. “We pray for and encourage our own congregations and people to pray for and stand with Greenland and the Greenlandic people who want to maintain their independence,” the statement read. “We pray for peace and respect between nations.”
The statement continued: “We unreservedly support the Church of Greenland and Bishop Paneeraq Siegstad Munk, whose statement has been quoted in several media outlets: ‘This is a question of human rights, dignity, and respecting international laws and treaties. We are a small people, but we are not invisible. Our future is not something to be decided over our heads. We have language, culture, ancestors, children, and a future tied to this place. We are people, not property. Greenland is not land to be bought. It is our home and it is not for sale’ (Christian News, Jan. 14).
“The Church of Greenland works closely with dioceses in Denmark and plays an active role in international affairs as a member of the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation and other organizations. We wish that this close cooperation will continue and bring joy and benefit to the people of Greenland.”
The bishops closed by inviting readers to write their elected leaders and tell them to respect the independence of Greenland and the Greenlandic people.
