CCA condemns the declaration of martial law in Mindanao in the southern Philippines

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

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25 May 2017

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The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) expressed serious concerns on the declaration of martial law on 24 May 2017 in Mindanao in the southern Philippines imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a statement issued by the CCA on the troubling political developments in the Philippines, CCA General Secretary Dr. Mathews George Chunakara urged President Duterte to lift martial law in Mindanao which subjects the people of the southern Philippines to curfews, checkpoints and other restraints on their human rights.

Martial law was imposed following clashes between the IS-supported Maute terrorist group and government forces in which three government troops were killed and 12 others were injured. Civilians were also taken hostage and properties were damaged in the conflict.

The CCA General Secretary stated that President Duterte must address the root causes of the conflicts and violence not only in Mindanao but in the Philippines in general.

“We believe that the declaration of martial law does not solve fundamental problems. Peace can only be attained when the root causes of armed conflicts are addressed through diligent efforts,” said Mathews George.

CCA General Secretary further added that the CCA shares the concerns expressed by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) that, “placing the entire island under martial law only sends a chilling effect on the general populace” and that “the sudden declaration of martial law is bound to make matters worse.”

The CCA also condemned the Maute terrorist group for taking church people and teachers as hostages, destroying properties, as well as occupying schools, a hospital and a parish.

The Philippines was under martial law from 1972 to 1986, imposed by former President Ferdinand Marcos, during which the citizens witnessed a gross and systematic pattern of flagrant abuses of human rights, including illegal arrests and detention, torture, involuntary disappearances and summary executions.

Read the full text of the CCA General Secretary’s statement on the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, the Philippines.