wfn.org | Proclamation of the gospel must include protection of human dignity

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

Synod of River Plate church elects Juan Pedro Schaad as new president

GENERAL RAMIREZ, Entre Rios, Argentina/GENEVA, 2 November 1998 (lwi) - The
Evangelical Church of the River Plate (IERP) pleaded at its 33rd general
synod for the protection of human dignity. At the center of proclamation of
the gospel and witness should be the protection of the dignity of each
human being, created in God's image, stressed the outgoing IERP president,
Rodolfo Reinich, in his report. Reinich emphasized that in our time human
life has been depreciated. Marginalization and discrimination have
increased, there are even new forms of slavery, and human beings have been
relegated to secondary status in today's world. "Therefore, Christians must
clearly confess that human beings and their salvation are God's principal
concerns," he stressed.

Equally emphasized in the report were the ecumenical relations which the
IERP has with all Christian groups in the region. Regarding this, Reinich
reminded the gathering that the new climate of appreciation of, and
readiness for, cooperation began with the election of the Catholic
archbishop of Parana, Estanislao Karlic, as president of the Argentinian
bishops' conference in 1996. Reinich also reported on other aspects of
church life, including commitment for youth and women, various training
programs for members and different diaconal services.

The delegates elected as the new president Juan Pedro Schaad (48), who was
born in Switzerland but has been living since his earliest childhood in
Argentina. He studied in Buenos Aires and worked as a parish pastor in one
of the suburbs of Buenos Aires. There, he devoted himself especially to
pastoral work with the poor and to the ecumenical movement for human
rights. The Uruguayan Carlos Duarte, pastor in the Lutheran parish
Esperanza in the Argentinian province Santa Fe, was elected vice president.

The conference approved reforms in the church statutes, which deal with,
among other things, the defense and promotion of human rights as well as
the preservation of the environment as manifestations of the social
responsibility of Christianity and which reflect a decidedly ecumenical
orientation.

^From the organizational point of view, the reform of the statutes should
bring about more transparent decision-making, as well as the reduction of
the length of intervals between synod meetings from three to two years, the
reduction of the number of delegates by half and a shorter period of
service for the church authorities (from six to four years) with the
possibility of one reelection only.

The IERP comprises 42 parishes in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. More
than 200 delegates, men and women, lay persons and clergy, participated in
the conference, which takes place every three years in the town of General
Ramirez in the Argentinian province of Entre Rios.

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