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Summary

Kireopoulos, Antonios (2007). Witnessing the Peace of God in a Violent World In Emmanuel Clapsis, ed., Violence and Christian Spirituality An Ecumenical Conversation. Geneva, Switzerland: World Council of Churches. Pp. 63-69.

"Perhaps one of the most enduring photographic images of the events of 9/11 and its immediate aftermath is one of tranquillity. In this photograph, amid the carnage of the fallen World Trade Center towers, amid the swirl of dust and chaos, are two figures linked in a moment of stillness and strength. It is a photo of Archbishop Demetrios, standing before a kneeling rescue worker, the archbishop's hand resting upon the other man's head in an act of blessing....In the face of such violence, and its causes, the promise of peace - imbued as it is with tranquillity and confidence and hope and love - needs a witness perhaps as never before. The stillness of that moment in the photograph is one part of this witness. The other part of this witness is action, on behalf of those things that make for peace. Indeed, what this picture also proclaims, in addition to the importance of quiet trust in God, is definance against that which brings pain and suffering to human beings created in God's image and likeness." (abstract)

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