World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org For immediate release - 13/04/2007 05:10:00 PM
WCC GENERAL SECRETARY CONGRATULATES POPE BENEDICT XVI ON HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has sent the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI a greeting in honour of the pontiff's 80th birthday.
In the spirit of the Easter season, Kobia pays tribute to Benedict for his lifelong dedication to meeting "difficult upheavals in both society and science" with responses "grounded in our common faith in the Risen Lord".
"We thank you for proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and sharing generously the assurance of the resurrection. We thank God for your life and work," Kobia says in his letter.
On behalf of the fellowship of churches in the WCC, Kobia expresses the hope that God will bless the Pope "to continue leading the faithful of the Roman Catholic Church."
The Pope will celebrate his 80th birthday on Monday, 16 April.
The full text of the letter follows:
Your Holiness,
Christ is Risen!
"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father." (1Thess.1:2-3)
With these words of the apostle, we gladly join this Sunday, April 15, our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers across the world who will celebrate your 80th birthday in Eucharistic fellowship.
Your Holiness, in your long life and ecclesial ministry you have experienced the most difficult upheavals in both society and science. You have dedicated your life to searching for responses that are grounded in our common faith in the Risen Lord.
During your Pontificate you have been preaching and teaching about renewal and re-discovery of this very amazing faith in Christ. A message that we have embodied in the theme of the World Council of Churches 9th Assembly last year in Porto Alegre, Brazil: "God, in your grace, transform the world".
On behalf of the fellowship of churches constituting the World Council of Churches, we pray to the Almighty that by His Grace you are blessed to continue leading the faithful of the Roman Catholic Church, so that as you said in your message on Easter Saturday, "through the wounds of the Risen Christ we can see the evils which afflict humanity with the eyes of hope".
We thank you for proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and sharing generously the assurance of the resurrection. We thank God for your life and work.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia General Secretary World Council of Churches
Additional information: Juan Michel, +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
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The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 347 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
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