wfn.org | WCC NEWS - Samuel Kobia on Asian harmony in diversity models

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches - Update 
For immediate release: 7 July 2004

ON FIRST LEG OF ASIA TRIP, KOBIA PRAISES REGIONAL MODELS OF
HARMONY IN DIVERSITY
	
	cf: WCC Press Release PR-04-16 of 1 July 2004
	
"Asia's rich heritage and culture of being together in diversity
should be adopted as a model which will further strengthen
ecumenism in the 21st century," WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr
Samuel Kobia said in an address to Asian and Hong Kong ecumenical
and church leaders.
	
Kobia was speaking during a 5 July public reception organized by
the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), the regional ecumenical
organization with headquarters in Hong Kong. The WCC general
secretary was on the first leg of a 5-25 July three-country trip
to Hong Kong, Australia and Fiji.
	
Speaking later to a group of Buddhist and Christian leaders
attending a WCC-CCA consultation on "Peace and harmony in
religious diversity", Kobia praised Asia's experience of
interfaith living as a good example from which conflict-ridden
societies could learn much.
	
In a 6 July address to an ecumenical youth gathering organized
in the framework of the Hong Kong Christian Council's year-long
50th anniversary celebrations, Kobia called for "revitalization
of the ecumenical movement through ecumenical formation of
Christian youth".
	
Accompanied by WCC Asia secretary, Dr Mathews George Chunakara,
CCA general secretary, Dr Ahn Jae Woong, and Hong Kong Christian
Council general secretary, Rev. Eric So, Kobia visited the chief
executive and head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
of China, Mr Tung Chee Hwa.  Here, Kobia expressed his hope that
the government will continue to nurture its relationships with
Hong Kong's churches, which have been making significant
contributions in the field of education and social services.
	
The WCC general secretary attended a number of other meetings
organized by the Hong Kong Christian Council, the Hong Kong
Council of the Church of Christ in China, and the Methodist
Church in Hong Kong.
	
Archbishop Peter Kwong of the Anglican Church, the archbishop of
the Roman Catholic Church, Joseph Zen, and Metropolitan Nikitas
Lulias of the Orthodox Church in Hong Kong took the opportunity
of Kobia's visit to congratulate the new WCC general secretary on
his appointment.

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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.