WCC NEWS: New accreditation agreement for Ecumenical Institute

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World Council of Churches - News

NEW ACCREDITATION AGREEMENT ANNOUNCED FOR ECUMENICAL INSTITUTE AT BOSSEY

For immediate release: 17 February 2011

A groundbreaking agreement was announced Wednesday making all students
attending the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Institute at Bossey
eligible to receive an accredited certificate from the University of
Geneva.

Since 2000, the institute and the university have been working together to
find a solution for the growing number of students, particularly from the
global South, who come to Bossey from schools that are not internationally
accredited so that they can return home with a recognized academic
certification for their studies at the Ecumenical Institute.

Praising the new agreement, Andreas Dettwiler, dean of the Autonomous
Faculty of Theology at the University of Geneva, quoted the 3rd century
Alexandrian philosopher Origen: “Are you on the way? If you are, then
you are going in the right direction.”

“Doing theology means always being ‘on the way,’” Dettwiler said.
“Religion can be used for better and for worse. Bossey is valuable for
its academic rigour and sensitive approach. We both need each other.”

Founded in 1946 to develop leaders for the ecumenical movement, the
Ecumenical Institute at Bossey has worked with the University of Geneva
through its theology faculty since 1952. Bossey students who qualify have
been eligible to receive academic credits from the university.

“Our cooperation with Bossey is among the oldest partnerships we have and
is very important to us,” said University of Geneva rector
Jean-Dominique Vassalli of the 452-year-old university. “This
[agreement] is an extraordinary opportunity for us as we seek to be more
international,” he added.

Until this agreement, students registered solely at Bossey for a
one-semester programme received only an Ecumenical Institute certificate
-- which was valuable within the church and the ecumenical movement but
had no academic value.

The two new certificates are a Complementary Certificate in Ecumenical
Studies for students from accredited schools and a Certificate of Advanced
Studies in Ecumenical Studies with continuing education credits for those
from non-accredited schools.

The Ecumenical Institute at Bossey continues to offer master’s and
doctoral courses in ecumenical studies in cooperation with the
university.

In addition to the accreditation, the agreement will help Bossey expand its
offerings, said Fr Ioan Sauca, director of the Ecumenical Institute.
“Bossey will be able to organize shorter-term programmes on issues that
confront our churches and societies today.”

Those courses, developed in partnership with the university’s theology
faculty and other institutions with expertise in a certain topic “could
be organized either in Bossey or in other parts of the world, as
needed,” Sauca said.

Website of the Ecumenical Institute (Link: 
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=5e66a4d4623e265d7e5e )

Free high resolution photos of the signature ceremony available upon
request. (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=fb193290fbacb2e5fbda )


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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