80 years after WW2: Renewing our commitment to peace

As the world marks 80 years since the end of World War II, the LWF’s European Vice-Presidents are calling for a commitment to active work for peace, justice, and reconciliation during times of conflict and division.

06 May 2025

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LWF’s European Vice-Presidents are calling for a commitment to active work for peace, justice, and reconciliation during times of conflict and division. Photo: LWF/Albin Hillert

LWF Vice-Presidents in Europe urge churches to be active peacemakers

(LWI) - On 8 May 1945, Europe emerged from the devastation of World War II. Eighty years later, the scars of that conflict and the subsequent occupation of Eastern Europe still remind us of the immense cost of war and the importance of lasting peace.

As Europe and the world face new wars and conflict, including the war in Ukraine, conflicts in many other places, and rising political tensions, the Vice-Presidents of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Europe are calling on churches and political leaders to be active peacemakers.

In a message shared on 6 May 2025, Bishop Dr Tamás Fabiny, Bishop Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt, and Rev. Dr Arnfríður Guðmundsdóttir, reflect on Europe’s hard-won peace, the wounds of history, and the urgent need to work for solidarity and peace.

80 years on: Remembering and renewing our commitment to peace

A message from the LWF Vice-Presidents in Europe

Eighty years ago, on 8 May 1945, people across Europe celebrated the end of the Second World War. What began on German soil had cost millions of lives of children, women, and men. For many European countries this day marked liberation from the Nazi regime’s violence and terror. It also marked the beginning of Soviet occupation and oppression in Eastern Europe.

As we remember this day, we acknowledge the pain of the past and wounds that remain. We mourn the countless lives lost and the immense suffering caused by war and occupation. At the same time, we affirm our solidarity with all who today face war, hatred and violence. Since the Lutheran World Federation was founded in 1947, our global communion has been committed to support people forced to flee their homes. This commitment remains central to the LWF’s mission and work today.

Europe enjoyed decades without large scale war but endured painful divisions during the Cold War. The peaceful revolutions of the late 1980s raised hopes for a united Europe, marked by freedom, democracy, and reconciliation. Yet, the wars on the Balkans and the ongoing war in Ukraine, remind us that peace is precious, fragile, and never guaranteed.

We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will grant peace to whole world, especially during these troubled times. And we commit ourselves to work tirelessly for justice, peace, and reconciliation, not as passive observers but as active peacemakers.

We call upon world leaders to pursue just and peaceful reconciliations to all conflicts and to protect the most vulnerable. And we call upon churches across all of Europe to pray and work for peace, supporting all efforts to bring an end to violence and work for transformative peace.

We do this in faith, encouraged by Christ’s words

“Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Bishop Dr. Tamás Fabiny
LWF Vice-President for Central Eastern Europe

Bishop Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt
LWF Vice-President for Central Western Europe

Rev. Dr. Arnfríður Guðmundsdóttir
LWF Vice-President for the Nordic Countries