ALC NEWS SERVICE E-mail: director@alcnoticias.org
BRAZIL
President Lula confirms presence in World Council of Churches Assembly
BRASILIA, Feb 1 (ALC). Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will attend the IX World Council of Churches Assembly on February 17, speaking before more than 4,000 delegates, observers and journalists from 347 Protestant and Orthodox Churches from 120 countries around the world, the secretary of the presidency said Wednesday.
The confirmation of Lula?s presence was
communicated to the new secretary general of the Council of Christian Churches of Brazil (CONIC), the Rev. Western Clay Peixoto, who assumed the position today in Brasilia. The information was immediately transmitted to the local organizing committee, based in the city of Porto Alegre.
Lula was expected to attend the Assembly?s inaugural ceremony on February 14 in Porto Alegre. The Brazilian president received the WCC invitation during a meeting he held May 12, 2003 with then secretary general of the World Council of Churches, Pastor Konrad Raiser and a committee of Brazilian Church leaders.
?President Lula has been very successful in
international meetings. He is a good speaker and will not give a mere protocol greeting to the Assembly but a message with a great deal of content,? said Lutheran Pastor Ervino Schmidt, outgoing CONIC secretary general. (061/2006/ecu/pers/eb).
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