wfn.org | LWF General Secretary to Meet Canada's First Nations Chief

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

LWF General Secretary to Meet Canada's First Nations Chief Coon
Come
"The Plight of Indigenous People Needs to be Addressed at LWF's
Tenth Assembly"

GENEVA, 18 March 2003 (LWI) - The general secretary of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, will meet
with Canada's National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations
(AFN), Matthew Coon Come on March 19. Their discussions in the
Canadian capital Ottawa, will focus on the political and social
status of Indigenous people, including the health and land rights
issues of First Nations peoples.

On March 20, Noko, who will be accompanied by the National Bishop
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), Raymond
Schultz, will also meet with Grand Chief Dennis White Bird, leader
of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. He is scheduled to also hold
talks with Canadian government officials, other AFN
representatives, and church leaders. From the LWF Geneva
Secretariat, the general secretary is accompanied by Ms Karin
Achtelstetter, Director and Editor-in-Chief of the LWF Office for
Communication Services.

The LWF general secretary plans to use the occasion of the
meetings to share information about the forthcoming LWF Tenth
Assembly, which will be held under the theme "For the Healing of
the World." It will take place in Winnipeg, Canada, July 21-31,
hosted by the ELCIC.

"The rights of Indigenous people are essential to human rights
issues and the LWF has not ceased to advocate for the rights of
Indigenous people in many parts of the world," said Noko before
his departure for Ottawa. "The plight of Indigenous people needs
to be addressed at the LWF Tenth Assembly. How could we talk about
healing without hearing the cries of the Indigenous?" he asked.
The AFN is the national organization representing First Nations
citizens in Canada.

The LWF general secretary will also attend the March 20-22 ELCIC
National Church Council meeting in Winnipeg. The ELCIC has 188,654
members. It joined the LWF in 1986.

Note for the media: For interview requests during Dr. Noko's visit
in Canada, please contact Ms Achtelstetter at (mobile): +41 79 373
8210.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 136 member churches in 76 countries representing over 61.7
million of the 65.4 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 LWF's information service.
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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