World Alliance of Reformed Churches News Release 16 January 2007
WARC LEADERS PRAISE HIS ALL HOLINESS BARTHOLOMEW I
Leaders of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) praised the Orthodox leader Bartholomew I, the Patriarch of Constantinople, for his significant contribution in fostering Christian unity and environmental justice in meetings in Istanbul, Turkey, ending 15 January.
WARC president Clifton Kirkpatrick, who led the delegation to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, gave thanks also ?for the long and faithful witness of the Patriarchs of Constantinople? for upholding the integrity of Christian faith through difficult times.
?The Reformed community has a deep passion for helping to make the third millennium a millennium for Christian unity,? Kirkpatrick said at the meetings.
?We hope that our time together will foster continuing meaningful discussions and closer working together in our dialogues, on the future of holding ecumenical assemblies together, on our common commitment to justice in the economy and the earth and on our common concern about Christian witness and life in fullness in the Middle East.?
Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the Alliance, thanked His All Holiness Bartholomew I for his commitment to the ecumenical movement, stating that discussions focusing on a future ecumenical assembly which would bring together the world communions mark a step towards deepening this movement. Such a move will address the tendency to do things in fragmented ways.?
In his welcoming address to the WARC delegation, Bartholomew I said that the Ecumenical Patriarchate has for more than a century attached much importance to the ecumenical movement. The Patriarchate was one of the founding members of the World Council of Churches.
Bartholomew I said he was thankful for the gains made by the Reformed-Ortho dox Dialogue that have been taking place since 1988 and affirmed the need for them to continue for the sake of Christian unity.
Reformed theologian Iain Torrance, president of Princeton Theological Seminary and co-chairperson of the Reformed-Orthodox Dialogue, said, ?In our meetings with the Ecumenical Patriarchate we heard solid and warm support for our dialogue. We took this as a great encouragement and saw it as the expression of a commitment equal to our own.?
Torrance added that there have been significant agreements coming out of the Reformed-Orthodox Dialogue, including those on the Trinity and Christology. Both sides now have an opportunity to consider ways to make the dialogue more beneficial to their constituencies, he said.
Mary Mikhail, president of the Near East School of Theology in Beirut and a member of the WARC delegation, said, ?The time with His All Holiness was a special time to learn of his commitment to peace and justice in the Middle East and the life of the church and its witness as a sign of hope.?
During the meetings she highlighted the collaboration of churches in their solidarity with the people of Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East as they go through challenging times. ?The church and the people of the Middle East need the solidarity of the world church. Justice and righteousn ess are needed so much for the Middle East now more than ever before in history,? Mikhail said.
The WARC delegation worshipped at St. George Cathedral in Istanbul and met with the Inter-church Affairs Synodical Commission of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, chaired by Metropolitan Athanassios of Helioupolis and Theira.
The WARC leaders also visited the Monastery of the Holy Trinity on Halki Island, the site of a secondary school and theological seminary since 1844 which was closed by the Turkish government in 1971.
In evaluating the three-day visit, WARC general secretary Nyomi stated, ?It was a good opportunity to foster our relationship and to think together on our common commitment to Christian unity and coherence in the ecumenical movement.
?In addition, we admire Bartholomew I?s concern for justice in the environment and see in it common grounds with WARC?s own work of covenanting for justice in the economy and the earth.?
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) brings together 75 million Reformed Christians in 214 churches in 107 countries * united in their commitment to making a difference in a troubled world. The WARC general secretary is Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. WARC?s secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Contact: John P. Asling Executive Secretary, Communications World Alliance of Reformed Churches 150 Route de Ferney P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva, Switzerland tel. +41.22 791 6243 fax: +41.22 791 6505 web: www.warc.ch
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