wfn.org | LWF General Secretary Welcomes Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

LWF General Secretary Welcomes Appointment of Rowan Williams
as New Archbishop of Canterbury

GENEVA, 23 July 2002 (LWI) - LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr.
Ishmael Noko has welcomed the appointment of the Most Rev. Rowan
Williams, presently Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Monmouth, as
Archbishop-designate of Canterbury. In a letter sent today to the
new archbishop, Dr. Noko expressed his great pleasure over the
appointment saying he has learned to appreciate Williams' thoughts
and faith through his writings.

"The ecumenical commitment and creativity that you have shown in
the exercise of your ministry as Archbishop of Wales is an
indication that we have promising times ahead in Anglican -
Lutheran relations," Dr. Noko said.

The full text of the letter follows:

Dear Archbishop,

It is with great pleasure and fervent prayers that I write to you
today in connection with your appointment to be the new Archbishop
of Canterbury.

I have learned to appreciate your thoughts and your faith through
your writings. And I am well aware of your strong qualifications
as a pastor and as a church leader to take up the great
responsibilities to which you have now been called in the church
of Jesus Christ. The challenges that the world currently presents
to the churches are numerous and complex. May God's Spirit give
you - and all of us - strength, wisdom and courage as we seek in
all areas to follow God's will. The theological and pastoral
guidance that you provided at the 1998 Lambeth Conference
regarding one of the highly sensitive issues of our time, is an
example of how we as world communions can properly approach such
matters in the years ahead.

The ecumenical commitment and creativity that you have shown in
the exercise of your ministry as Archbishop of Wales is an
indication that we have promising times ahead in Anglican -
Lutheran relations. The close, committed relations of communion
between some of our churches, of which the Porvoo Common Statement
is such an illustrious example, indicates some of the potential of
our future relations also at the global level.

The newly completed report of the Anglican - Lutheran
International Working Group provides us with a helpful overview of
our relationship globally. Its recommendations propose ways
forward to which I know our two communions will give careful
consideration.

Now may God bless you and your immediate surroundings in the
period of great transition ahead, and may your ministry as
Archbishop of Canterbury truly be a blessing to the one universal
church of Christ.

Sincerely yours,

Ishmael Noko
General Secretary

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted,
material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the
LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

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