wfn.org | WCC 8th Assembly dates

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World Council of Churches
Press Release
For Immediate Use
16 June 1997

WCC EIGHTH ASSEMBLY - CHANGE OF DATES ANNOUNCED

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has, due to unforeseen
circumstances, changed the dates of its next assembly.  The venue
remains unaltered.

The Eighth Assembly will now take place 3-14 December 1998 at
the University of Zimbabwe, Harare.

Media planning to attend the assembly are asked to note this
change.  Accreditation application forms and other information
will follow at a later date.

WCC General Secretary, Dr Konrad Raiser, has written to WCC member
churches and other ecumenical organisations informing them of this
decision.

He explains that the WCC was only informed on 29 May by the
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe that the university
campus would not be available for the assembly in September 1998, as
had been agreed.

The Vice-Chancellor told the WCC the reason for this sudden change is a
new funding policy of the government which drastically reduces
allowances for students.  This has obliged the university to rearrange
the academic year, which is now to begin in August, in order  "to avoid in
future students on campus with insufficient funds to sustain
themselves". 

The Assembly Planning Committee (APC), which coincidentally was
meeting when the news came through, carefully considered all aspects
of this new situation.  It sought clarification about the circumstances
which had led to the decision of the university administration.  It also
initiated a tentative exploration of alternative sites in South Africa, the
Netherlands and - as a last resort - Geneva.

After careful discussion, the APC concluded that the WCC Officers
should be advised to give priority to maintaining the venue of Harare,
even if it meant adjusting the dates of the assembly. It was the conviction
of the APC that at this advanced stage of preparation a change of venue
would cause deep disappointment to the churches in Zimbabwe and in
the entire region of Southern Africa; it would also create a major financial
and organisational risk for the WCC.  It had also become clear that a
change of venue would almost inevitably necessitate an adjustment of
the dates of the assembly as well.

In the desire to honour its previous commitment and in response to strong
appeals by the churches through the Zimbabwe Council of Churches,
the university administration, after the end of the meeting of the
Assembly Planning Committee, offered the period of 21 November to 14
December 1998 as an alternative date for holding the Eighth Assembly in
Harare.

Having assessed the various options and considered the strong advice
of the APC, the Officers decided to change the dates of the assembly. 
The Officers contacted the WCC Executive Committee which has
expressed its support for the decision.

In his letter, Dr Raiser says he is aware the change of dates may cause
difficulties especially for some of the delegates who have already been
nominated, as well as for other participants of the assembly.  He adds,
"We can only ask for your understanding for this decision which we
regret and which was caused by circumstances beyond the control of
the WCC."
The change of dates will also affect various pre-assembly meetings
including the festival to mark the culmination of the Ecumenical Decade of
Churches in Solidarity with Women.  Further announcements will be
made when details have been finalised.

**********
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 330, in
more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions.  The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but
works cooperatively with the WCC.  The highest governing body is the
Assembly, which meets approximately every seven years.  The WCC
was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Its staff is
headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church
in Germany.

World Council of Churches
Press and Information Office
Tel:  (41.22) 791.61.52/51
Fax:  (41.22) 798 13 46
E-Mail: jwn@wcc-coe.org
http://www.wcc-coe.org

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CH-1211 Geneva 2