General Secretary of WCC to Meet Swiss Churches, Government

The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, will make his first official visit to the churches of Switzerland, home to the headquarters of the WCC.

|TOP|Rev. Kobia will hold discussions with the leadership of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (SEK-FEPS) and its member churches during his two-day visit from 18 to 19 January.

The WCC general secretary will also meet with the current president of Switzerland’s seven-member Federal Council, Moritz Leuenberger, as well as the federal councillor in charge of foreign affairs, Micheline Calmy-Rey.

The two-day visit to the Swiss capital by Kobia coincides with the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which runs from 18 to 25 January.

Rev. Kobia will take time out of his discussions with church and government leaders to preach at a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service at the French-language church in Bern.

The visit’s schedule also includes a meeting with the Federation of African Churches in Switzerland and a visit to the offices of Bread for All, the development service of the Swiss Protestant Churches.

Kobia is expected to discuss with the Swiss churches the issues of focus at the forthcoming WCC 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre, Spain, from 14 to 23 February.

The focus topics for the Assembly include the reconfiguration of the ecumenical movement and the WCC’s self-understanding and vision, as well as the way in which churches and ecumenical bodies address ethical and moral issues.

Kobia will also address in his meetings with government representatives issues like the reform of the United Nations, as well as the situation in Israel/Palestine and in Korea.