WACC calls on communicators and people of faith to be spokespeople for
reconciliation.

"Communication: from Confrontation to Reconciliation" was the theme of the
3rd Congress of the World Association for Christian Communicators (WACC),
which took place from the 3rd to the 7th
of July in the Leeuwenhorst Conference Centre near Amsterdam in the
Netherlands.

The final declaration of the congress was read out to more than 300 delegates
from 80 countries on Saturday afternoon and said that "Establishing the
truth, strengthening justice and restoring human dignity do not of
themselves lead to reconciliation. The will to reconcile is an unconditional
act of faith and love. It calls for careful dialogue and mutual
understanding".

The text also sets out the need to foster responsible communication that
"promotes understanding within and between faiths and cultures, supports
local traditions  of peacemaking, explores creative use of technology and
seeks dialogue between science and faith".

WACC's third congress, that was officially opened by the Dutch minister for
Development and Cooperation, Eveline Herfkens, was addressed by many noted
speakers with stories about reconciliation in a diversity of contexts that
have suffered the impact of wars, dictatorships, unjust regimes, the
abscence of democracy, discrimination and other forms of violence, such as
Argentina, South Africa, Palestine, Guatemala and Rwanda.

The event was also the appropriate occasion to welcome the newly elected
General Secretary of the organisation, Rev. Randy Naylor, minister of the
United Church of Canada, who takes over from Rev. Carlos Valle, Argentinian
Methodist pastor, who has been at the helm of WACC for fifteen years.

During the congress the participants debated such issues as the
participation of women in media, the democratisation of communications,
community radios and music as a communication language. The work of the
different regions was also presented through videos, images, conferences and
publications that show the will and commitment of Christian communicators to
be voices of reconciliation in a world full of injustices.