wfn.org | WCC MEDIA ADVISORY: WCC general secretary on ecumenism, Haiti, Palestine/Israel, climate change

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

>World Council of Churches - Media advisory
>For immediate release: 23 February 2010

WCC GENERAL SECRETARY ON ECUMENISM, HAITI, PALESTINE/ISRAEL,
CLIMATE CHANGE

The recordings (in mp3 format) of a press briefing with the new
general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr
Olav Fykse Tveit, have been posted to the WCC online press room:
http://bit.ly/GS-pressbriefing

Tveit addressed the following issues (in English):

The ecumenical movement and the WCC. Tveit speaks about his
vision for bringing new energy to the quest for Christian unity
(7 min).

Haiti. Having advocated for the cancellation of the country’s
debt at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Tveit pushes the issue
further (3 min 30).

Climate change. Building on the churches important advocacy role
around the Copenhagen climate summit, Tveit speaks about future
ecumenical actions (3 min 30).

Middle East. A former co-moderator of the Palestine Israel
Ecumenical Forum, a platform for churches and Christian
organizations advocating for a just peace, Tveit discusses
ecumenical perspectives for a seemingly intractable conflict (5
min).

During the questions and answers part of the briefing, Tveit
speaks about relations with the Roman Catholic, Orthodox,
Evangelical and Pentecostal churches, Muslim-Christian relations
and the council's financial situation, among other issues  (38
min).

The press briefing with Geneva-based media took place at the
Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, 22
February.

It came in advance of the service during which Tveit is to be
formally installed as WCC general secretary by the council's
Executive Committee, on Tuesday, 23 February.

The sermon preached by Tveit during the installation service is
available in 
English: 
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_15592&mid=1953&aC=c416b25e&jumpurl=-2

German:

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_15592&mid=1953&aC=c416b25e&jumpurl=-3

French:

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_15592&mid=1953&aC=c416b25e&jumpurl=-4

Spanish:

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_15592&mid=1953&aC=c416b25e&jumpurl=-5

Russian:

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_15592&mid=1953&aC=c416b25e&jumpurl=-6

A short biographical note about Tveit is available here:
http://bit.ly/GS-bio-eng 

Free-of-charge high resolution photos of Tveit are available
here:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_15592&mid=1953&aC=c416b25e&jumpurl=-8

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_15592&mid=1953&aC=c416b25e&jumpurl=-9

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_15592&mid=1953&aC=c416b25e&jumpurl=-10

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&rid=f_15592&mid=1953&aC=c416b25e&jumpurl=-11

Please credit as follows: © WCC / Peter Williams.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact
us.

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 Olav Fykse
Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva,
Switzerland.