ELCIC National Church Council Adopts Statement at Its March Meeting

In a statement issued by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), the church lifts up its commitment to implementing the values and principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and recognizes the importance of the declaration as the framework for reconciliation.

The statement responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) final report issued in June 2015, which included within it 94 Calls to Action.

Call to Action #48 calls all religious denominations and faith groups to issue a statement no later than March 31, 2016 as to how they will implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Our church is committed to participating in the ongoing process of reconciliation, says ELCIC National Bishop Susan C. Johnson. This is a journey, one that we recognize requires a long-term commitment. It is my prayer that we will have the courage to use the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation.

The ELCIC’s National Church Council adopted the ELCIC Statement on Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at its March 2016 meeting.

~ Read the statement here.

~ from an article published on March 22, 2016 on the ELCIC website

For more information on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and our denominations’ responses to and calls for reconciliation with First Nations peoples, go to our Truth and Reconciliation page.