'What kind of ashes do we need?' is the question being asked by Australian churches in advance of UN Security Council deliberations next week. In solidarity with Pope John Paul II's own call, the National Council of Churches in Australia is inviting all churches to mark Ash Wednesday, March 5 (or 12 March, in the case of some Orthodox churches), as a special day of prayer for peace, in accordance with each church's tradition.

'Ash Wednesday is traditionally a day of repentance', said the Revd Dr Jon Inkpin for the NCCA, 'in which Christians seek grace to turn from paths of evil. Australia needs to find space for sober reflection at this time so that we turn to cultivating a culture of peace rather than war. What we require are ashes of repentance, in which we can find hope for the poor of the world, rather than ashes of destruction.

'The NCCA is encouraging particular prayers for all people facing the threat of war or persecution in the Middle East, for the members of the UN Security Council and for Australian service personnel and their families. Several NCCA member churches have recently produced new prayer and discussion materials on the subject of war and Iraq, and further resources are available from the NCCA website.