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WCC NEWS: WCC condolences over death of Grand Imam of Al-Azhar


From "WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>
Date Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:37:21 +0100

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

WCC CONDOLENCES OVER DEATH OF THE GRAND IMAM OF AL-AZHAR

>For immediate release: 12 March 2010

Sheikh Mohammed Sayyid Tantawi, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar
mosque and head of the al-Azhar University "will be remembered
with great respect and appreciation for his remarkable
contribution to Islamic scholarship, for his prominent role and
genuine commitment to intercultural and inter-religious
dialogue", World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev.
Dr Olav Fykse Tveit wrote in a condolence letter to the Ulama’
of al-Azhar al-Sharif on 11 March. 

The sheik died on 10 March of a heart attack at age 81. Since
1996 he had been the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar mosque, one of the
most influential and important Sunni Muslim institutions. 

In 2008, Sheikh Tantawi had met with a WCC delegation including
the then general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia. 

Full text of the condolence letter (

http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&amp;rid=f_15592&amp;mid=1999&amp;aC=c416b25e&amp;jumpurl=1
) 

WCC press release of 26 June 2008: Church unity and
inter-religious dialogue discussed at WCC visit to Egypt (
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2267&amp;rid=f_15592&amp;mid=1999&amp;aC=c416b25e&amp;jumpurl=2
)

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.


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