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World Council of Churches 7 Press Update
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 04/05/2004 - pu-04-25

 Istanbul: Ecumenical Patriarch assures WCC
 of continued cooperation and support

Cf. WCC Upcoming Events May 2004 of 23 April 2004

"You are at home here," were the words used by His All Holiness Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew to welcome the World Council of Churches (WCC)
general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, on Saturday 1 May 2004.

Kobia was beginning his first visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople since taking up his new post in January; the Patriarchate
enjoys a "primacy of honour" among the Orthodox churches, related to the
ancient status of Constantinople as capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.

In his welcome, the Ecumenical Patriarch said that, as one of the founding
members of the WCC in 1948, the Ecumenical Patriarchate "has always
collaborated fully" and "will continue to work within the WCC towards the
unity of the church".

Recalling that "We have worked closely with your predecessors and will
continue to do so," he assured the WCC general secretary of his prayers and
support, and encouraged him to visit the Patriarchate regularly in coming
years.

In recent years, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has given strong support to
the work of the Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC,
established in 1998 following mounting criticism of the WCC from several
Orthodox member churches.

Kobia highlighted "the pioneering role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in
the areas of ecology and interreligious relations," and said that it is "an
important source of inspiration for all of us".

Welcoming the new WCC general secretary during a Monday morning meeting
with the Patriarchate's Synodical Commission on Inter-Church Affairs, the
president of the Commission, Metropolitan Prof. Dr Athanassios of
Helioupolis and Theiron, expressed joy that Kobia will be bringing "African
spirituality, culture and traditions to the Council's life and activities".

For his part, Metropolitan Prof. Dr Gennadios of Sassima recalled that as
"the first major ecumenical gathering of the 21st century", the WCC's ninth
assembly in 2006 "should strengthen the call for unity and renew the
commitment to the fellowship of churches".

Spirituality and ecumenical formation were evoked by Kobia and members of
the Commission - the highest decision-making body of the Patriarchate on
ecumenical relations - as being at the heart of the WCC's ongoing work and
programmes. The Commission members and the WCC visitors agreed that dealing
only with structures without spirituality could become "a meaningless
exercise". The need to "enlarge the circle of younger ecumenists prepared
to face the challenges of ecumenism in the 21st century" was also affirmed.

On Monday afternoon, the WCC general secretary visited the Orthodox School
of Theology of Halki. Although the school has been closed since 1971, much
hope and strenuous efforts have been directed towards its re-opening.

The WCC visit ended today with a courtesy visit to the Armenian Patriarch
of Istanbul and all Turkey, His Beatitude Mesrop II.

The delegation, which was accompanied by Archimandrite Benedikt (Ioannou),
the permanent representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch to the WCC, was
composed of Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary, Mr Georges Lemopoulos,
deputy general secretary, and Ms Sabine Udodesku, executive secretary.

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 The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in
 more than 120 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 Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.