wfn.org | WCC News: WCC general secretary to visit Germany

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World Council of Churches 7 Press Release
 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 23/06/2004 - pr-04-10

 WCC general secretary visits Germany

 The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC)
Rev. Dr
 Samuel Kobia will visit Germany from 28 June to 2 July. This is
Kobia's
 first official visit to Germany since taking office in January
2004.

 Kobia's visit will include the German capital Berlin, the
headquarters of
 the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) in Hanover, and time in
various
 other EKD member churches. Discussions will focus upon
Kobia's plans as
 new general secretary and on the World Council's ongoing
work.

 In Berlin, Kobia will meet amongst others with Dr Wolfgang
Huber, chair of
 the EKD Council and bishop of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian
Oberlausitz,
 with Dr Rolf Koppe, bishop for ecumenical relations and
ministries abroad,
 and Dr Margot Kdssmann, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church of
 Hanover. On 1 July, the WCC general secretary will bring
greetings to the
 annual St John's reception of the Evangelical Church in
Germany, to which
 prominent politicians and members of society have been
invited.

 Following a meeting with Professor Christoph Schwvbel, dean of
the faculty
 of theology in Heidelberg, there will be a discussion session
with
 students. At Heidelberg Univeristy, Kobia will give a lecture
entitled "
 Grounded in faith - a spirituality of resistance and
alternatives to
 injustice, violence and despair". Kobia will then visit the
Protestant
 Institute for Ecumenical Studies and Research in Bensheim to
hear about
 the institute's work.

 Meetings with representatives of EKD member churches in
Bavaria,
 Kurhessen-Waldeck, Thuringia, W|rttemberg and the Palatinate
are also
 planned, as are meetings with Free Church representatives from
other WCC
 German member churches. Discussions will focus on the WCC
Decade to
 Overcome Violence, the WCC ninth assembly in 2006 in Porto
Alegre, Brazil,
 and the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and
Israel
 (EAPPI), as well as looking at wider theological and political
issues.

 The programme will end with visits to the Wartburg in Eisenach,
the
 Bonhoeffer House in Berlin, and a walk along a remaining part
of the
 Berlin wall.

 Kobia will be accompanied on this visit by Rev Sabine Udodesku,
WCC
 executive secretary.

 Press appointments:

 Press conference at the Protestant Institute for Ecumenical
Studies and
 Research in Bensheim
 Tuesday 29.06.2004, 11.00-11.30.
 Contact: Dr Alexander Gemeinhardt, tel. +49 62 51 84 33 0
 Place: Konfessionskundliches Institut / Evangelischer Bund -
Protestant
 Institute for Ecumenical Studies and Research
 Eifelstrasse 35, D-64625 Bensheim

 Press conference in Bad Orb
 Tuesday 29.06.2004, 15.30-16.15
 Contact: Karl Waldeck, tel + 49 561 93 78 272
 Place: Evangelisches Gemeindezentrum - Protestant parish
centre,
 W|rzburger Strasse 13, D-63619 Bad Orb

 Press briefing for journalists in Berlin
 Thursday, 01.07.2004, 16:00-17:00 Uhr
 Contact: Silke Fauzi, tel +49 511 27 96 267
 Place: Haus des Bevollmdchtigten des Rates der EKD - House of
the EKD
 Council representative to the Government of the Federal
Republic of
 Germany,
 Charlottenstrasse 53/54, D-10117 Berlin

For more information contact:
	 Media Relations Office: tel: (+41 22) 791 64 21 /  61
53
	 e-mail:media@wcc-coe.org - http://www.wcc-coe.org 

The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now
342, in more
than 120 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, Netherlands. Its staff is
headed by
general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in
Kenya.