wfn.org | WCC UPDATE: EKD chair affirms German churches' support for WCC

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World Council of Churches - Update
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org 
 
For immediate release: 27 September 2004

EKD CHAIR AFFIRMS GERMAN CHURCHES' SUPPORT FOR WORK OF WCC

			     Free photo available, see below.

Bishop Dr Wolfgang Huber, chair of the Council of the Evangelical Church in
Germany (EKD), has expressed his appreciation of World Council of Churches
(WCC) work. During a 22-24 September visit to Geneva, Huber said that he
follows WCC activities "with great sympathy", and assured WCC general
secretary Rev. Dr Sam Kobia of the "support and solidarity" of the EKD. Kobia
visited Germany in July, and Huber was returning his visit. 

Referring to Orthodox participation in the WCC, "I am happy to hear that the
Orthodox members of the WCC are accepting the recommendations of the Special
Commission", Huber commented, adding that "We will try to live with those
recommendations even in the areas where we have some difficulties." Regarding
the impact of the changes on the WCC's life and work, Huber expressed his
hope that membership in the Council, and its worship and spiritual life in
particular, would "remain relevant". 

On the Council's financial situation, Huber noted that it "has been able to
address financial difficulties with new structures, and has reached some
stability," which would help it to "focus on its important programmatic
issues". Thus "the WCC is now in a better position to negotiate from a solid
financial basis with funding partners and specialized ministries".

As Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia pointed out, "further cooperation between WCC and EKD
is very important, particularly in light of the worldwide responsibility of
the ecumenical fellowship for justice and peace". Both leaders said they
hoped that the relationship between WCC and EKD as well as their personal
contact would continue to deepen.

According to Huber, the reconfiguration of the ecumenical movement, another
crucial issue, should "lead to stronger cooperation among ecumenical bodies".
The possibility that the Lutheran World Federation and the World Alliance of
Reformed Churches might hold their next general assemblies together would be
a good example of such cooperation, he said.

Emphasizing the role churches play in the field of human rights and refugees,
Huber suggested that their approach to these issues is "to certain extent
different from those of other non-governmental organizations". Christians all
over the world "pray every Sunday for those whose human rights are violated,
and express their solidarity through their intercessions". Churches are very
close to the "grassroots", and should take advantage of their favoured
situation to "deepen and improve" their commitment, he said.

As a member of the WCC Executive Committee, and having visited the WCC for
the first time in 1969, "More than half of my life has been related to the
WCC," Huber said, adding that the relationship had been "very formative for
my personal life and my ecumenical journey". 

During his visit to Geneva, Huber, who is bishop of the Evangelical Church
Berlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz, met with the WCC general
secretary Rev Dr. Samuel Kobia and WCC programme staff as well as with the
general secretaries of the Conference of European Churches, the Lutheran
World Federation and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. He also met
with the deputy director of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) Europe office, as well as with the German ambassador at the United
Nations. 

A free high resolution photo is available at
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/press_corner/huber-visit.html 

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363
media@wcc-coe.org 

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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.