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WCC Central Committee Meeting 2006

WCC central committee called to bring new life into the ecumenical movement

Geneva | 31.08.2006 | WCC/APD | Ecumenism

A plea to "bring new life into the ecumenical movement" was issued by Rev. Dr Walter Altmann in his first report as World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee moderator. He also emphasized the Council's role as "the privileged instrument of the ecumenical movement" and rejected the possibility of "a minimalist agenda".

Opening the first meeting of the WCC's governing body, elected at its 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre last February, Altmann spoke about the "beautiful, though difficult, ecumenical commitment which has brought us together, in spite of the many differences that exist among us".

"The ecumenical movement," he argued, "must not be understood as based on a lowest common denominator". Instead, it is "driven by a much higher and challenging vision". That vision is "full and visible unity among the churches", its basis is the unity that the Holy Spirit grants "through the gospel and baptism," and it is received "in faith".

On those terms, "ecumenism is not optional, but compelling". Ecumenical dialogue and cooperation amount not to some kind of strategic planning, but rather to "a passion for unity". Those committed to ecumenism envisage "full communion" as its goal, although they don't lose sight of "the divisions among us," which are "a sin against God".

The ecumenical movement "moves slower than we wish", and "our churches probably move slower than they could," Altmann recognized. In a sober assessment of the "century of ecumenism," he affirmed that "in many places the relations among the churches have improved considerably," but observed that the question of whether churches are "closer to the stated goal of visible unity" remains open.

Since "burning and divisive issues, both doctrinal and ethical," create "inner tensions" in many churches, they experience the temptation "to 'defend themselves' against the centrifugal forces of fragmentation, entrenching themselves within their own theological or institutional walls". As a result, they may regard "their ecumenical commitment as a lower priority".

In this context, Altmann affirmed, the WCC is "a fellowship of hope". He challenged the central committee members to consider that their "primary and fundamental task" is to "live out" that fellowship among themselves.

This also has institutional implications: at its first meeting, the committee's agenda is to be devoted mostly "to trying to cope with the challenge" of establishing a new programme structure for the Council. The result must be "faithful to the decisions of the Assembly, responsible in its stewardship of resources [...] not as abundant as we might wish", and capable of "strengthening the witness and service" of WCC churches.

"The WCC cannot be pushed into a minimalist agenda but must remain [...] the privileged instrument of the ecumenical movement", Altmann said.

(2830 Zeichen)

WCC Secretary General Kobia calls for comprehensive response to Middle East crisis

Geneva | 31.08.2006 | WCC/APD | Ecumenism

World Council of Churches' (WCC) general secretary the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has called for a comprehensive ecumenical response in seeking lasting peace in the Middle East.

In his report to the meeting of the WCC Central Committee meeting, Geneva 30 August to 6 September, Kobia proposed the establishment of a Palestine/Israel Ecumenical Forum that will provide a space for coordination of advocacy based on "moral and theological principles" and "translate recommendations into actions that influence the political process".

He said, "We need further analysis and deeper engagement on complex issues—such as the 'right of return', Israel's legitimate security concerns and its full recognition within mutually agreeable borders—topics which have impeded previous peace processes."

Kobia's comments, warmly received by Central Committee, were echoed by the Rev. Jean-Arnold de Clermont, who, during a brief report on the WCC pastoral visit which he led to the churches of Lebanon, Palestine and Israel in August this year, asked if the WCC's member churches had the will and courage to act.

De Clermont, President of the Conference of European Churches, asked Central Committee to respond to the expectations of the Middle East churches and their leaders, summed up by one person the delegation met: "Do not remain content with praying. Do something!"

He said communities in Lebanon couldn't understand the seemingly indiscriminate violence and destruction in their country, but were certain that a multi-cultural and multi-confessional Lebanon was possible and necessary for peace in the region.

He said Christian leaders said there could not be peace without respect for the "other" or without justice. Injustices included the arrest of nearly one third of democratically-elected Palestinian politicians and the humanitarian crisis facing the population of Gaza. "Do not forget Gaza," the pastoral delegation was told.

Kobia described the Middle East as the most pressing global issue today. "Violence in Lebanon and northern Israel, and on-going violence associated with the occupations of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Israel, and also of Iraq by forces under US command, have wreaked destruction and suffering on an immense scale," he said.

He referred to the visit of the pastoral delegation to Beirut and Jerusalem, to past statements by the WCC and to calls from member churches and ecumenical organizations for a cease-fire.

But more needed to be done, he said.

"The most important issue in relation to a lasting and durable peace in the Middle East is when and how the international community will end the Israeli occupation of Arab lands, in compliance with international law and UN resolutions. Ending the occupation will allow different forces to emerge and give a new face to the Middle East."

Proposing the establishment of a Palestine/Israel Ecumenical Forum, Kobia said the WCC could provide a space where the whole ecumenical movement could "mobilize to put our collective energies and resources together".

Speaking to the media, Kobia named practical steps including identifying all concerned ecumenical partners so a global coordinated response could be organized, holding a consultation involving those partners, and a visit led by Dr Kobia to the region in order to engage the churches.

Kobia said he wanted to involve people of other faiths in the process and that "we need to show we can be an honest broker" between Jews and Muslims because "advocacy alone will not do".

He said he would appeal to funding partners for special resources for the Middle East initiative.

In his report, the general secretary said, "A way must be found to allow people of goodwill in Israel to begin to rebuild relations with neighbours—not only on the basis of law but also through negotiated solutions to mutual problems, and around mutually beneficial relations in the fields of commerce, culture and the environment."

"The world has a responsibility both to Palestine and to Israel," he said. "They deserve more from the international community than they have received thus far, especially in the fair and impartial application of international law. We need to look beyond the current headlines to the underlying moral issues in the region."

He said the WCC with its rich experience and background in inter-religious dialogue could make a major contribution to the Israel-Palestine peace process.

Proposed programme plans for the WCC mean that the Middle East will be a high priority in the WCC's future work.

(4519 Zeichen)

Archbishop calls for key church role in global AIDS fund

Geneva | 01.09.2006 | APD | Ecumenism

The global fund for tackling HIV and AIDS should be distributed through churches because they have the best access to the populations affected.

That appeal was made during the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee meeting by the Most Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi, Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Burundi, at a press briefing on the WCC's Ecumenical HIV/AIDS Initiative in Africa (EHAIA).

Central Committee, meeting 30 August to 6 September in Geneva, is expected to make a statement on churches' compassionate response to HIV and AIDS, saying the world possesses the means to reverse the global epidemic and that churches have a unique and critical role to play.

EHAIA enables churches in Africa to gain access to the information, training, networks and funding they need to help deal with HIV/AIDS in their communities.

Archbishop Ntahoturi's call was repeated by Dr Agnes Abuom, from Kenya, who contributed to the founding of EHAIA. She said churches should advocate for access to resources through country coordinating mechanisms.

Dr Manoj Kurian, the WCC programme executive for health and healing, said EHAIA was responding to the burning needs of people. He said through its five EHAIA offices the WCC was making it possible for church leaders and their congregations to speak honestly about HIV and AIDS, formulate relevant liturgy and theology, and to act practically in response.

The programme was nurturing the strength available in Africa and drawing on the tenacity, love and compassion of people living with HIV and AIDS, he said.

Dr Abuom, a former WCC president, said through EHAIA the WCC was attempting to help restore hope and courage and address issues such as the church's presence and witness in Africa.

Critical issues, she said, were capacity building and making the church "HIV competent", so that it:
· indicates clearly that stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS is against the will of God;
· has a full understanding of the severity of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa;
· takes into consideration pastoral, cultural and gender issues; and
· uses its resources and structures to provide care, counselling and support for those affected.

She said the programme was a journey of faith, encouragement and advocacy that was helping the church address a very sensitive issue.

Other panelists at the press briefing said HIV/AIDS was reminding people of the collective responsibility they had for one another.

It provided an opportunity to discuss relations between human beings, acceptance of minorities and the issue of gender roles.

Archbishop Ntahoturi said the three major killers in Africa - HIV, malaria and conflicts - were preventable.

He made a call "to the Global Fund to look at the churches as partners, since we have resources on the ground to reach the people, sometimes much better than governments."

EHAIA, he said, had helped churches accept people living with AIDS as members of their communities. They had been able to fight stigma by saying, "These are our people."

The programme had also helped people retain some dignity by providing micro-credits for communities affected by poverty, he said.

The Rev. Moiseraele Prince Dibeela, from Botswana and deeply involved with the theological component of EHAIA, agreed with Archbishop Ntahoturi saying the church existed in every community.

He said the programme therefore was equipping pastors with knowledge about HIV and AIDS and with liturgical and pastoral skills, because life and death were theological issues.

"How do we preach about a loving God in the midst of so much suffering?" he asked.

He said the programme sought to develop a theology that spoke of life and a language to articulate faith and hope.

Panelists said major challenges remained, including poverty, human rights for people living with AIDS, and access to resources, including medicine and personnel.

Even in countries with medical facilities there was insufficient personnel, because health professionals also were contracting the disease.

The Ecumenical HIV/AIDS Initiative in Africa was set up in 2002 as a joint undertaking of African churches, Northern churches and agencies, and the World Council of Churches.

(4191 Zeichen)

"Take risks to welcome the stranger," WCC General Secretary Kobia appeals

Geneva | 01.09.2006 | WCC/APD | Ecumenism

In a volatile global context, the massive migration of people around the world has a deep impact on societies and churches, and poses fundamental questions for ecumenical relationships and responsibility, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) stated in his report to the organization's main governing body.

Migration "is one of the main features of the changing global context, with decisive consequences for the ecumenical movement locally and globally," Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia noted in his opening address to the WCC's central committee, meeting in Geneva 30 August-6 September 2006.

The UN estimates that over 175 million people are on the move worldwide, and the trend is growing as economic globalization, civil conflicts and transport links transform traditional societies.

In the face of such complex change, churches in all places are called to live out the biblical ideal of hospitality towards the stranger and accepting change, Kobia said.

"In today’s world, welcoming strangers is a justice issue, and often a political statement," Kobia underlined. "Practising true hospitality involves recognizing our own vulnerability and being open to transformation."

"Standing with migrants is politically unpopular in most regions of the world. The risks are very real, yet so is our calling," he said.

In his report, Kobia also outlined proposals for a new ecumenical initiative in response to the Middle East conflicts, which he termed "the greatest of challenges" to the international community. Kobia's proposal centres on the establishment of a new Palestine/Israel Ecumenical Forum to strengthen the coordination of strategy, resources and actions of churches and related organizations in the region. The Middle East is expected to be a central focus of the committee's discussions.

Referring to the recommendations made at the WCC's 9th Assembly early in 2006 for an "integrated and interactive approach" to the programmatic and relational work of the WCC, Kobia said the Council should give priority to the collaboration and coherence among the various ecumenical bodies in the coming years, with the aim of strengthening the "constructive collaboration" of church bodies.

New programme plans and policy priorities for the coming seven years will be endorsed by the committee during the session.

The WCC central committee gathers 150 church representatives from all regions and church traditions, and has the oversight of the Council's policy and programmes.

(2486 Zeichen)

Altmann calls member churches to ‘deep bonds of fellowship’ as meeting opens in Geneva

Geneva/Switzerland | 03.09.2006 | DisciplesWorld | Ecumenism

By David Wayne Brown, DisciplesWorld contributing writer

Walter Altmann called members of the World Council of Churches to re-establish “deep bonds of fellowship” in his opening remarks Wednesday as moderator of the WCC’s Central Committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

Calling it an essential “exercise of fraternal sharing,” Altmann, the president of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil and the first moderator from Latin America, said that strengthening relationships is the first task of the members and must come before debating and adopting a new program for the WCC, even though most of the time spent this week and next in plenary sessions will be about programs.

“We owe it to ourselves and to the churches we represent to live out as a central committee the fellowship that the Holy Spirit is constantly willing to concede us and foster among us,” Altmann said. Those sentiments illustrated what the moderator admitted was an undertone to his address: “relations among our churches, the religious scenery in Brazil …” and the practical implications of a document entitled “Called To Be the One Church” that came out of the WCC Assembly in Brazil this past spring.

That meeting in Porto Alegre was held “under the heavy shadow” of the decision taken by the Convention of the Brazilian Methodist Church in July to withdraw from organizations that have a Roman Catholic presence, Altmann said. The Catholic Church is an observer of WCC meetings.

In a meeting with the news media, Altmann was asked several questions concerning Christian divisions. His responses indicated his hope that fellowship and reconciliation will be visible at least as much as division and competition among churches.

The Central Committee meets through Sept. 6 and will spend a great deal of time in committees and plenary sessions giving priority to programs, adopting a budget, and considering statements about pressing public issues and world crises

As the meeting got under way, a group of about 50 demonstrators lined a street outside the Ecumenical Center building in Geneva, separated from the meeting by a group of police.

The protestors called themselves “Concerned Ethiopians in Switzerland” and loudly called for Abune Paulos to step down as the head of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The group, which appeared well-organized and used loud-speakers, claims Paulos isn’t doing enough to oppose the current regime leading the Ethiopian government.

Among other issues, Altmann brought to the Central Council’s attention the “challenge of religious pluralism.”

In most of the world, he said, “the religious scene today is characterized by an intense mobility and growing diversity,” and pluralism and diversity are tantamount within Christianity itself.

As an example, he pointed to an “astounding shift” in his own country of Brazil over the decade of the 1990s, when the percentage of population that was Roman Catholic decreased from 83 percent to 73.5 percent, while Protestant and Pentecostal churches grew proportionately.

“Everything leads us to believe that the process will intensify,” he said. Alongside the changes, Altmann warned, is a strong anti-Catholic sentiment. He added that current religious discourse includes the use of words such as “idolatry,” “syncretism” and “witchcraft” by many people without hesitation when referring to churches other than their own.

Altmann warned the WCC against being pushed “into a minimalist agenda.” He said the ecumenical movement must not be “understood as based on a lowest common denominator” because it is driven by a much higher and challenging vision, a theme he preached earlier in the day.

That the ecumenical impulse of the churches is a compulsion of faith was a point in the sermon Altmann gave at the opening worship here.

By courtesy of DisciplesWorld. This article is for personal use only.

(3934 Zeichen)

World Council of Churches urges for sustainable peace process in Northern Uganda

Geneva | 05.09.2006 | WCC/APD | Ecumenism

The central committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has appealed to the United Nations and the African Union to endorse a plan for a sustainable peace process between the government of Uganda and the “Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA).

In a statement on the plight of children in conflicts, with a focus on Northern Uganda, the central committee, meeting in Geneva 30 August to 6 September, condemned the atrocities being committed by the LRA and called on it, “to abide by the terms of any cease fire, desisting from all acts of violence, including abductions”.

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) formed in 1987, is a rebel paramilitary group operating mainly in northern Uganda. The group is engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government in what is now one of Africa’s longest running conflicts. The LRA has been accused of widespread human rights violations, including torture, rape, the abduction of civilians and the use of child soldiers.

The involvement of children in war is an offence not only against the children, but also against God, says the statement that was adopted by consensus by the 150 delegates from 348 churches worldwide.

It says the Gospel reminds Christians that children are hopeful signs of God’s unconditional love and promise to humankind. Any attack on children and their childhood “must be denounced as being intolerable and unacceptable.”

The plight of the children, their woes and suffering, continues to be immense and endless “from Sierra Leone to Liberia, and from Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo”, the statement says. Millions of children around the world, but more particularly in Africa, are not only bystanders in conflicts, but targets.

The central committee called attention to the situation of child soldiers. They are abducted, often put under the influence of drugs to make them commit atrocities, and abused both physically and psychologically.

After the end of an armed conflict the reintegration of demobilized ex-child soldiers is a difficult and complex process. In Northern Uganda, during the last 20 years “thousands of young children have been kidnapped, tortured, raped, virtually enslaved and sometimes killed by the LRA.”

The WCC central committee urged the Ugandan government to ensure the protection of all civilians. In particular, it said, children must be protected from abductions, child casualties should be minimized, and concrete plans should be developed for meeting the long-term needs of former child soldiers.

The statement acknowledges the engagement of the churches of Uganda in trying to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. Central committee said an important step on that road was the founding of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI) of 1998, that was supported by the Ugandan Joint Christian Council (UJCC).

(2854 Zeichen)
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