wfn.org | WCC NEWS: International ecumenical teams to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uruguay and Boli

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches - News Release

Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

>For immediate release - 07/07/2009 15:26:05

INTERNATIONAL ECUMENICAL TEAMS TO VISIT THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF CONGO, URUGUAY AND BOLIVIA

A team of church representatives from Europe, Latin America and
Africa will pay a solidarity visit to churches, ecumenical
organizations and civil society movements in Uruguay and Bolivia
from 9 to 16 July. A second team will visit the Democratic
Republic of Congo at the same time. 

Both teams are travelling as "Living Letters (
http://www.overcomingviolence.org/en/iepc/living-letters-visits.html
)" on behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The visit to
the Democratic Republic of Congo is a joint initiative of the WCC
and the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC).

Living Letters are small ecumenical teams visiting a country to
listen, learn, share approaches and help to confront challenges
in order to overcome violence, promote and pray for peace. They
are organized in the context of the WCC's Decade to Overcome
Violence ( http://www.overcomingviolence.org/ )in order to
prepare for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (
http://www.overcomingviolence.org/en/iepc/about-iepc/objectives-and-concepts.html
)in 2011.

>Uruguay and Bolivia

Although located in the same region, Uruguay and Bolivia are
extremely different in terms of their economic, cultural, ethnic,
social and political profiles. The situations of violence range
from the wounds left by a military dictatorship in Uruguay to
conflicts over a political change process under first nations'
leadership in Bolivia. 

In Uruguay, the team will learn about initiatives against
domestic violence and violence against women, as well as youth
violence, exclusion and drug abuse. The agenda of the 9-11 July
visit includes encounters with women's movements and visits to
church-related youth projects in Barrio Borro and El Cerro, two
suburbs of Montevideo that have become hotspots for conflict and
violence.

In Bolivia, 13-16 July, the team will visit Santa Cruz and its
vast, poor suburb Plan 3000 with almost 300,000 inhabitants
mostly of Aymara, Quechua, and Guarani descent, as well as La Paz
with its predominantly indigenous neighbouring city El Alto, and
Copacabana in the north-west of the country.

Members of the ecumenical delegation include: 
Archimandrite Iosif Bosch, Ecumenical Patriarchate, Argentina 
Rev. Emilio Aslla Flores, Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church,
member of the Latin American Council of Churches board of
directors 
Rev. Dr Verena Grüter, Association of Protestant Churches and
Missions in Germany, executive secretary of Mission Studies and
Theological Education 
MsEllen Cecilie Triumf, Church of Norway, youth representative
of Sami Church Council

WCC staff: 

Rev. Dr Odair Pedroso Mateus, Ecumenical Institute of Bossey,
dean and lecturer in ecumenical theology 
Mr James Macharia, Living Letters initiative and Programme for
Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation, intern

>WCC member churches in Uruguay:
>http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=4742

>WCC member churches in Bolivia:
>http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=4733

>Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

The DRC is still recovering from a five-year conflict that
claimed millions of lives and paralyzed much of the country from
1998. Despite a peace deal and the formation of a transitional
government in 2003, violent attacks in Goma and the surrounding
area of eastern DRC have continued even in 2009. However, efforts
to restore peace are ongoing and an agreement was signed by
several militia groups to dissolve their organizations. As a
result many displaced people are now returning to their homes and
farms. 

Churches in the DRC are working to alleviate the humanitarian
crisis, promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict and
advocate for an end to the violations of human rights. The Living
Letters delegation, headed by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr
Samuel Kobia, will form five groups visiting different parts of
the country – which is the third largest in Africa – 8-11 July,
before coming together in the capital Kinshasa, 12-14 July.

The groups will attend a 12-15 July AACC women's conference in
Kinshasa, where the WCC general secretary will preach at an
ecumenical celebration and make a keynote address, and a meeting
of theologians and Kimbanguist church leaders. They will visit
communities and projects in Goma and Bukavu in the east,
Bas-Congo in the west and the central Kasai province, as well as
the area around Kinshasa. 

Members of the ecumenical delegation include: 
Rev. Prof. Dr Simon Dossou, Protestant Methodist Church in
Benin, WCC president from Africa 
Ms Karin Döhne, head of Africa desk, German Church Development
Service (EED) 
Rev. Nicta Lubaale, general secretary, Organization of African
Instituted Churches 
Bishop Valentine Mokiwa, Anglican Church of Tanzania, AACC
president 
Ms Monica Njoroge, Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches
in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA) 
Mr Mike Rugema, Protestant Council of Rwanda 
Rev. Aaro Rytkönen, programme coordinator, FinnChurchAid, WCC
Central Committee member

AACC staff: 

Rev. Dr Andre Karamaga, AACC general secretary 
Ms Mbari Kioni, AACC director of advocacy 
Ms Vivi Akakpo, AACC Women and Migration programme officer

WCC staff: 

Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, WCC general secretary, leader of the
delegation 
Rev. Elenora Giddings Ivory, WCC programme director for Public
Witness 
Dr Nigussu Legesse, WCC programme executive for Africa

>WCC member churches in DRC:
>http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=4558

WCC Executive Committee statement on DRC, February 2009:
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=6624

Relief efforts of Action by Churches Together (ACT)
International:
http://act-intl.org/countries.php?uid=9

Additional information:Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507
6363media@wcc-coe.org

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 349 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.