The Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar, with which the United Reformed Church has links, is involved in an initiative to mediate a peaceful resolution to political unrest, which has caused more than one hundred deaths.  The Christian Council of Churches in Madagascar is trying to arrange a national conference of all political parties and other groups in society, with the help of the United Nations.

The Revd Lala Rasendrahasina, leader of the Church of Jesus Christ, which – like the United Reformed Church - is a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, is calling for restraint.  He said: “I have asked Christians in the military to remember they are baptised and that they are not supposed to murder nor to accept orders from superiors to kill.” He reports that the situation for church people is very tense.  He and other pastors have hired security guards.  Tensions are exacerbated by the prominent role of President Ravalomanana in the Church of Christ in Madagascar where he serves as its lay vice-president.

The president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches Clifton Kirkpatrick, said: “We recognize the extraordinarily complex situation in which the Church finds itself at this time in the country’s history. “We are keeping the country and its churches in our prayers. We pray that political and church leaders will agree to seek a peaceful resolution to their disagreements. “