wfn.org | WCC general secretary to visit Southern Africa

["Sheila Mesa" <smm@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches
Press Release, PR-01-28
For Immediate Use
13 August 2001

WCC general secretary to visit Southern Africa

HIV/AIDS, overcoming violence, and the equitable distribution of
land will be among the topics pursued by a World Council of
Churches (WCC) delegation led by general secretary Rev. Dr Konrad
Raiser to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, 14-27
August.  

South Africa

Raiser will preach at the opening worship of the South African
Council of Churches' (SACC) Tri-annual National Conference in
Johannesburg on 14 August, and give the keynote address to the
conference on 15 August. The SACC will be inducting a new general
secretary, Dr Molefe Tsele, who has been serving as interim
general secretary.  

Raiser notes that the visit is a renewal of the solidarity
between WCC and SACC and an "expression of hope that SACC can
continue and increase its significant role in the people's life
in what promises to be a critical time in South Africa". Raiser's
last visit to South Africa was in 1998.  

The church's role in addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic,
unemployment, criminal and youth violence, equitable land access
and ownership is among the topics the delegation expects to
address in meetings with church and ecumenical leaders. The
United Nations' World Conference on Racism will begin in Durban
at the end of August, and Raiser is also interested in church and
government leaders' views on its possible impact within South
Africa, especially in light of concerns about whether the
conference will in fact be able to address the crucial issues of
racism today.  

The delegation's programme includes a tour of Soweto and
meetings with local social action movements and with African
theologians from the University of South Africa and the
University of Pretoria. A visit to the office of president Thabo
Mbeki is planned on 16 August.  

Christians make up 68 percent of the country's population of
43.5 million. Traditional religions are followed by 28.5 percent,
Islam by 2 percent, and Hinduism by 1.5 percent.  

Namibia

The delegation will arrive in Windhoek, Namibia, on 17 August
for meetings with Namibian and Angolan church leaders and with
the Council of Churches of Namibia.  

HIV/AIDS and land distribution are also critical issues in
Namibia and are being addressed as such by the churches. Namibia
is currently second in the world in terms of the percentage of
the population infected by the HIV virus.  

The delegation will travel to Rundu to visit refugee camps and
landmines victims there, as well as to meet with church leaders
from Angola. Noting that the Fellowship of Councils of Churches
in Southern Africa (FOCCISA) has identified peace in Angola as
their top priority, Raiser points out that "Peace in Angola is
not just a national issue; it is a sub-regional issue."  

The delegation will meet with Namibian president Sam Nujoma on
22 August.  

The total population of Namibia is 1.8 million, of whom 80-90
percent are Christian, with the majority Lutheran, and 10-20
percent follow traditional religions. Ninety percent of the
Christian population belong to member churches of the Council of
Churches of Namibia.  

Botswana

 From 22-26 August, the delegation will focus on challenges
planned. A meeting with the Mothers' Union and visits to
and discussions with theological lecturers and students are
home-based care centres for HIV/AIDS orphans and street children
HIV/AIDS in Botswana. Meetings with  leaders and staff of the
are included in the programme.  
facing peace-making and pastoral care to victims of violence and
Botswana Christian Council, churches and religious organizations,

A meeting with president Festus Mogoe is scheduled on 24 August.
A visit with former president Ketumile Masire is also tentatively
planned on 23 August, depending on his return from his current
involvement in dialogue efforts in the Democratic Republic of
Congo. Raiser notes that the government of Botswana is doing its
best to address the problems of HIV/AIDS and street children, but
points out that the Botswana churches are calling for increased
attention to the indigenous San People, who have long been and
continue to be marginalized in Botswana society. The Botswana
Christian Council is also very involved in FOCCISA's peace
initiative in Angola.  

Half of Botswana's 1.6 million people are Christian. Fifty
percent follow traditional religions.  

Zimbabwe

The delegation ends its trip with a one-day visit to Harare,
Zimbabwe. The delegation will meet with church and ecumenical
leaders, including the leadership of the Zimbabwe Council of
Churches (ZCC). A meeting with government representatives is also
planned. The delegation will be particularly interested in
hearing from the churches about the current relationship between
church and state, the situation as regards land access and
ownership and the state of the economy, and about prospects for
church involvement in monitoring the upcoming presidential
elections.  

In a 2 August letter to ZCC President, Bishop Ambrose Moyo,
Raiser commended the ZCC for a recent communique, issued by the
heads of denominations, and expressed particular appreciation for
the council's commitment "to continue to give witness in their
life and worship to stemming the tide of violence, to promote
peace, to care for the victims of injustice without distinction,
and to continue through dialogue with all those involved in the
politics of the nation to promote the values of democratic
governance".  

Raiser was last in Zimbabwe for the WCC's eighth assembly in
1998.  

Seventy-five percent of the 11.3 million people in Zimbabwe are
Christian. Twenty-four percent follow traditional religions and
the remaining one percent are Muslim or other religions.  

WCC member churches

The WCC has 16 member churches in the region: Church of the
Province of Southern Africa, Council of African Instituted
Churches, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Southern Africa, Evangelical Lutheran Church
in Zimbabwe, Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of
Namibia, Evangelical Presbyterian Church in South Africa,
Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, Methodist Church of Southern
Africa, Moravian Church in South Africa, Presbyterian Church of
Africa, Reformed Church in Zimbabwe, United Church of Christ in
Zimbabwe, United Congregational Church of Southern Africa,
Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa and the Uniting
Reformed Church in Southern Africa.  

Members of the delegation

Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, WCC general secretary

Dr William Temu, WCC Africa secretary

Ms. Diana Mavunduse, WCC Decade to Overcome Violence
communication officer

Mr David J. Modiega,  chairperson of Fellowship of Councils of
Churches in Southern Africa (FOCCISA) and general secretary of
the Botswana Christian Council

Rev. Jose Domingo Caetano, WCC Central Committee member,
Evangelical Pentecostal Mission of Angola

Rev. Dr Kasonga wa Kasonga, All Africa Conference of Churches
(AACC), executive secretary, Christian and Family Life Education
and Eighth AACC General Assembly coordinator 

For further information, please contact Media Relations Office,
Tel.:  (+41.22) 791.61.53  

**********
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of churches,
now 342, in more than 100 countries in all continents from
virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is
not a member church but works cooperatively with the WCC. The
highest governing body is the assembly, which meets approximately
every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general
secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

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