Church House has a message for the Presidents during Helsinki Summit: ”Blessed are the peacemakers”

American President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Helsinki for their meeting in July 2018. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and Finnish Church Aid are greeting the Presidents with words from the Bible: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)”

A banner with a message from the Sermon on the Mount is hanging on the side of the Church House, located in the immediate proximity of the meeting point, the Presidential Palace. There is also a lot of international media gathered nearby.

”The mission of church and Christians is to make the world better and more just, and to pray for peace as a community. It is also important to pray for those who have the power to make a difference both locally and globally”, says Laura Arikka, who is working as a specialist of Human Rights and the Church in the Public Space at the Office of the Church Council. “The church has an active role in the world, the society and decision-making.”

Jouni Hemberg, Executive Director of Finn Church Aid believes that peace should be the prevailing message of all high-level meetings. “People all around the world have the right to live in peace.”