Phil Jenks began by referring to a recent article by Gustav Niebuhr, religion editor of The New York Times (March 27, 1999), in which Niebuhr summarized the position of the World Council of Churches (WCC) relative to the crisis. Jenks explained that though there are many subjects (such as baptism or the Eucharist) on which there is disagreement among the 300 Protestant and Orthodox churches that make up the WCC, there is unanimity on the question of the NATO bombing. The consensus is that trying to stop violence with violence is a tragic failure of humanity's ability to come together for a peaceful solution. "There is a lot of anger that the NATO alliance did not allow the negotiations to proceed," he said. "And the longer the bombing continues, the more difficult it will be to return to this process."

Jenks said that there are strong Orthodox voices on both sides speaking out against the bombing. He specifically pointed to a March 25th statement by Patriarch Pavle, President of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which appeals for an end to the bombing and a peaceful solution through negotiations. The statement calls upon all Orthodox leaders in Serbia and abroad to "multiply their prayers to the Good Lord, the only One who is in the possession of peace, that peace would be granted to our tortured and suffering nation, but also to other people who live together with us."

Jenks shared copies of WCC releases that have been issued since the October 14 call for a peaceful settlement. On March 25, the Reverend Dr. Konrad Raiser, General Secretary of the WCC, sent a pastoral letter to WCC member churches in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, expressing solidarity with them and assuring them that the thoughts and prayers of WCC's member churches were with them. On March 29, the Conference of European Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches joined the WCC in writing a letter to Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, requesting that the UN take initiative to "stop the present acts of military violence and seek a nonviolent resolution of the conflict." A response is expected soon. On March 31, six organizations joined the WCC in making an Easter appeal to NATO for a cease-fire.

Letters have also been sent by the Orthodox Peace Fellowship to President Clinton, urging him to call off the bombing because it "will be counterproductive and may well lead to protracted war," and to President Milosevic, calling for an end to the attack on Kosovo, which has seemed "to give moral legitimacy to the NATO bombardment."