Europe: Vienna, Austria, February 22nd, 2003.

We twenty women gathered in Vienna on 22.2.2003 as part of the European Pre-Assembly consultation for the Winnipeg Assembly have received and discussed the message from the International Women's Pre-Assembly Gathering in Montreux, November 15-17, 2002.

We appreciate the work done by the International Gathering and we affirm the appeals to stop the A violence and to name the wounds, stated in the Montreux Message. In the European women's meeting we have especially focussed on spirituality, violence, environment and economic globalization, and as European women we would like to raise the following additional points as our comments and views:

1. We strongly feel that the issues we discussed are not exclusively for women, but rather general issues that should be discussed by men and women together. We oppose the tendency to marginalize and ignore important issues because they are labeled as women's issues. Wherever healing is needed, the whole of creation is concerned.

2. We are aware that the majority of Europeans are guilty of greed and excessive consumption, thus exploiting other people and environment. We are guilty of silence and indifference in these issues. We have to use our spirituality to overcome this silence and to voice our failure to do justice and to ask for forgiveness.

We challenge the creed that economic growth and profit are the only possible criteria directing development, at the cost of human rights, justice and solidarity. The Church should emphasize that "there are hundreds of alternatives" (TAHA) and be an alternative itself.

In discussing the environment we took water as one of the most important element of basic human needs that requires major attention. Water will be a growing cause of conflict in the world in the near future. We urge the LWF to join in global efforts to highlight the life-giving importance of water for the world, and to launch a simple, convincing action where all can join, as a visible sign of our concern.

3. The concept of family is challenged today. Modern society places new demands and pressures on families all over Europe. We urge our churches to accept and support all forms of families, where security and stability can be experienced in a changing world.

4. We seriously encourage our Churches to disseminate the LWF Document "Churches Say No to Violence Against Women". We also ask the LWF to motivate its member Churches to acknowledge that violence lives in our midst and to take action against it. We have to start uprooting violence using all our educational institutions, schools, kindergartens etc. It is our conviction that violence is not only harmful to the victim, but also damages the perpetrator.