wfn.org | WCC NEWS: John Paul II: Outstanding, courageous spiritual

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World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release: 2 April 2005

   POPE JOHN PAUL II:
   OUTSTANDING FIGURE IN MODERN CHRISTENDOM,
   ONE OF THE MOST COURAGEOUS SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF OUR TIME

Expressing the profound sadness of the World Council of Churches (WCC)
following the announcement by the Holy See of the death of His Holiness
Pope John Paul II today, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia
stated that:

"His Holiness Pope John Paul II will be remembered as one of the most
courageous spiritual leaders of our time. He demonstrated this courage as
much in his illness as he did through his leadership, his writings and his
pronouncements. In the one ecumenical movement he constantly affirmed as
irreversible the deep involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in
ecumenism. In responding to the challenging issues for the church in the
world, he opened a dialogue with other religious traditions, and addressed
constantly issues of social justice and moral and ethical values. As an
African, I recognise the importance he gave to the African synod, and the
pastoral care in which he identified with the people of Africa."

The condolences were shared by WCC central committee moderator Catholicos
Aram I who emphasized:

"His Holiness Pope John Paul II will remain an outstanding figure in the
modern history of world Christendom. In fact, his relentless effort to
make the Gospel of Christ a living reality in the life of people, his
unyielding prophetic witness to make the moral values the guiding
principles of human societies, his firm commitment to the cause of
Christian unity, his openness to other religions with a clear vision of
living together as a reconciled community in the midst of diversities, and
his continuous advocacy for justice, human rights and freedom made him an
exceptional figure of great achievements. As moderator of the World
Council of Churches central committee and as the Armenian Catholicos of
Cilicia, I had the privilege to meet His Holiness on different occasions
and witnessed the strength of his faith, the depth of his wisdom and the
clarity of his vision."

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 347, 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.