wfn.org | LWF Council Meeting in Wittenberg, Germany, not Jerusalem

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Solidarity with Middle East Church

GENEVA, 11 March 2002 (LWI) - The 2002 meeting of the Lutheran
World Federation (LWF) Council will take place in Wittenberg,
Germany instead of Bethlehem and Jerusalem as previously
scheduled. The September 10-17 dates remain unchanged.

Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, LWF General Secretary, said the decision to
move the Council meeting from Jerusalem "for the second time in
two years" had been taken after thoughtful discussions with the
LWF Executive Committee and Palestinian Bishop Dr. Munib A.
Younan, whose church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan
(ELCJ) was originally expected to host the June 2001 and this
year's meeting. Last year's meeting took place in Geneva,
Switzerland.

When the Executive Committee met last November, it received an
update on the difficult political situation between Palestine and
Israel and was informed about the steps that had so far been taken
in preparing for the Council meeting, Noko said.

In their February mail vote, Committee members regretted that the
LWF Council could not honor ELCJ's invitation under the prevailing
circumstances in Palestine and Israel. They recognized that
holding the meeting in Jerusalem would have given a strong message
of solidarity with the two nations deeply affected by ongoing and
increasing violence. "I have conveyed this decision to Bishop
Younan with great regret," Noko said. The Executive Committee
plans to hold its 7 June 2002 meeting in Jerusalem. From June 8-9
the committee will visit with Younan and the ELCJ, and hold
discussions with government authorities.

The LWF National Committee in Germany will now host the 2002
Council meeting. In a March 4 letter to Oberkirchenraetin Kaete
Mahn, Noko expressed sincere appreciation for the spontaneous and
welcoming invitation from Germany. The Executive Committee will
meet prior to the Council, September 8-9.

The 3,000-member ELCJ has congregations in Jerusalem, Jordan and
Palestine. The LWF National Committee in Germany brings together
13 German LWF member churches in Germany. It is chaired by
Presiding Bishop Dr. Hans Christian Knuth, who is also chairperson
of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted,
material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the
LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

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