Greek Orthodox Head to Make Historical Visit to World Ecumenical Centre

Archbishop Christodoulos, primate of the 10 million-member Greek Orthodox Church, is scheduled to be the first head of the Church of Greece to visit the World Council of Churches (WCC), as he plans to stay in Geneva from 28 May to 1 June 2006.

|PIC1|As well as visiting the ecumenical HQ of the WCC, Christodoulos will also meet the UN high commissioner for refugees, members of the Swiss Federal Council and of the Geneva Council of State, and the mayor of Geneva.

The Church of Greece is one of the founding members of the WCC, and Christodoulos will meet the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia and participate in a programme of discussions on the ecumenical landscape and the role of the WCC.

Also on the Archbishop’s agenda are meetings with the general secretaries of the Lutheran World Federation, Rev. Dr Ismael Noko, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, Rev. Dr Setri Nyomi, and the Conference of European Churches, Rev. Colin Williams, as well as with representatives of Geneva churches.

Christodoulos is known for his strong social engagement and views on contemporary issues such as globalisation, migration and European unity.

Elected as Archbishop of Athens and all Greece in 1998, during his stay, Christodoulos will meet the UN high commissioner for refugees, Mr António Guterres, members of the Swiss Federal Council, members of the Geneva Council of State, the mayor of Geneva, Mr Manuel Tornare, and the rector of the University of Geneva, Dr André Hurst.

|AD|At the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Archbishop Christodoulos will announce a grant from his church to fund an annual scholarship at the Institute.

The Archbishop will lecture at the University of Geneva on the issue of ‘The role of the church within Greek society: the example of bioethics’ on 30 May.

The history of the Church of Greek goes back the missions of Apostle Paul, and in its modern day form its current concerns are issues such as the Christian response to globalisation, inter-religious dialogue, and a common Christian voice within the framework of the European Union.

The Church of Greece has established a centre for bioethics and is also involved in relief and development work through the NGO "Solidarity".

The Church of Greece hosted the WCC World Conference on Mission and Evangelism in Athens in 2005, the first ever that has taken place in a predominantly Orthodox context.