World Council of Churches affirms spirit of unity

|PIC1|The busy eight-day meeting saw the Central Committee elect Norwegian theologian Olav Fyske Tveit as its next General Secretary and Busan in South Korea as the venue for the next WCC General Assembly, two decisions that will greatly influence the agenda of the WCC in the coming years.

On Tuesday, the Central Committee issued more than 10 statements on issues of concern to the WCC, including the conflict in Darfur, violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the financial crisis, and ecojustice.

Renewing its call for peace in Darfur, the WCC condemned the “mass atrocities committed against innocent civilians in Darfur” and called the conflict a “moral challenge for the international community”. The WCC also urged the government to honour peace settlements, namely the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005 with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

Speaking at the end of the meeting today, WCC Moderator the Rev Walter Altmann admitted that the heavy agenda had made the last few days difficult, but went on to express his satisfaction at the outcomes.

“We had a very heavy agenda and very important decisions had to be taken,” he said. “We did so in a very strong feeling of belonging together and moving ahead and I am definitely convinced that throughout this meeting that the institution of the WCC and the fellowship of churches have been strengthened.”

WCC General Secretary the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia told reporters that the meeting had achieved a “very observable way of living the fellowship of the WCC beyond just the business of the Central Committee”.

He noted particular “excitement” among Committee members to hear about WCC visits to churches in situations of difficulty.

“I think it was also quite discernible that there was a spirit of unity in this Central Committee,” he continued. “Of course there were different opinions expressed but this unity that the Central Committee had, particularly when it came to making major decisions, I would say was also discernible.”

This was Dr Kobia’s last Central Committee meeting as General Secretary before he officially steps down in the new year.

Reflecting on his last six years in office, he said he had tried “to strengthen the churches in being in living contact with each other”.

He said: “This being my last Central Committee as General Secretary I feel very satisfied with the way the meeting went and the way I was affirmed by the Central Committee in my work as General Secretary … one member summed it up: ‘Taking the WCC to the member churches in their own contexts.’”