Laufdorf, 25 February 2026
At its meeting on February 20-22, 2026, in Laufdorf near Wetzlar, Germany, the Board of Church and Peace appointed a General Secretary (Designate). Suzanne Eade-Roberts lives at Chantraine near Epinal, France. Born in England, she is a Quaker and has experience in administration, project management, and adult education at Friends House Moscow, a non-governmental organization. She will initially work 20% of the time at the Church and Peace international office starting in May and will take on a greater role as General Secretary after completing her doctorate at the University of Bristol.
The Board will present a draft on “Vision and Mission” at its General Assembly in August 2026. Overcoming violence and the concept of just peace play a role in this.
The talk of just peace reflects the insight that peace can only be achieved when questions of justice are answered. This can be read in particular in “An Ecumenical Appeal for Just Peace.” https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/ecumenical-call-to-just-peace, (see also the pastoral letter https://www.dbk-shop.de/de/publikationen/die-deutschen-bischoefe/hirtenschreiben-erklaerungen/gerechter-friede.html), accessed on 22 February 2026.
It is an ecumenically influenced concept that encompasses the dimensions of peace in the community, peace between peoples, peace in the economy, and peace with the earth. It is based on the non-violence of Jesus, as expressed in the Gospel in a context of violence by the Roman Empire. Non-violence, when conceived in the spirit of Jesus and lived as active non-violence, is not a concept that can only prove itself in times of peace, but must unfold its power particularly in times of aggressive war.
In an interview about her many years of experience as General Secretary of the Church and Peace network, Marie-Noëlle von der Recke emphasized that the church attains its true identity as a church of peace. It draws practical lessons from the proclamation and work of Jesus Christ in the here and now. It is called to be a beacon of peace in a world of violence and war. Commitment to this clear foundation is the incentive for practical, nonviolent engagement alongside victims of violence and war and excludes the use of weapons. This theological stance should also guide how we advise people who are required to do military service.
The EKD’s (Evangelical Church in Germany) 2025 peace memorandum expresses a different view
https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/denkschrift-welt-in-unordnung-EVA-2025.pdf, accessed on February 22, 2026.
Press contact
Anja Vollendorf, Board Chair, Church and Peace, +49 170 3568204