wfn.org | News in brief

[FRANK_IMHOFF.parti@ecunet.org (FRANK IMHOFF)]

LWI Daily News Service, 1/99, No. 5&6
Date: 2 February 1999

News in brief

 ... Jukka Paarma consecrated archbishop. Jukka Paarma was on January 6,
1999, consecrated archbishop of the archdiocese of Turku and the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland (ELCF), in a ceremony presided over
by the Oulu diocesan bishop, Olavi Rimpilainen assisted by 21 other
bishops. Others present at the occasion included the general secretary of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Ishmael Noko, the Conference of
European Churches (CEC) general secretary Keith Clements and Ms. Gunnel
Borgegard, the Nordic Ecumenical Council general secretary. The solemn
consecration in the Cathedral of Turku was also attended by Finland's
President Marti Ahtisaari and his wife, and several guests from Lutheran
churches and other denominations. At a press conference preceding his
consecration, Paarma pointed out that with regard to economic issues, the
moral in the society has loosened and people cannot differentiate between
right and wrong. He hoped that in future, the church would pay more
attention to children and the youth.

 ... Oscar Cullmann passes away. The Lutheran and ecumenical communities
have lost one of a generation of committed theologians, Oscar Cullmann,
who passed away on 16 January 1999, at the age of 96. Born in Strasbourg,
France in 1902, Cullmann was active in developing relations between
Protestants and Roman Catholics in Europe. Paying tribute to the Lutheran
French theologian, the LWF general secretary, Ishmael Noko, described him
as a scholar who "embodied practically the full breadth of theological
learning in a way which is very rare today."

 ... Renowned Lutheran editor to leave his post. The Rev. Edgar R.
Trexler, noted author and longtime editor of "The Lutheran" magazine of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will not seek re-
election when his term ends on 30 October 1999. Trexler, who will be 62
then, has been editor of "The Lutheran" since the ELCA was formed in 1988.

 ... Karin Achtelstetter moves from LWF to WCC. This issue of the Lutheran
World Information (LWI) also marks the departure of the Assistant Editor,
German and the Acting Director of the LWF Office for Communication
Services, Karin Achtelstetter. The 37-year-old theologian and social
scientist from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, takes up her
new position as Media Relations Officer with the World Council of Churches
(WCC) on 1 March 1999.

Correction: Please refer to LWI 24/98 page 15   "New general secretary
for the Ecumenical Council in Hungary". The last paragraph in this brief
should have read as follows: "Bishop Mih…ly Markus becomes the council's
new president, replacing Bishop Bela Harmati, who is a member of the LWF
Executive Committee and chairperson of the Program Committee for
Communication Services."

*       *       *
Lutheran World Information
Assistant Editor, English: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
http://www.lutheranworld.org/