wfn.org | WCC UPDATE: In Canada, Kobia encourages healing efforts of

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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 - 01/10/2004

 IN CANADA, KOBIA ENCOURAGES HEALING EFFORTS OF CHURCHES

Aboriginal representatives of Canadian churches, devastated by residential
school scandals which have resulted in lawsuits against them totaling
millions of dollars, told Rev. Dr Sam Kobia, WCC general secretary, that
they must work together ecumenically if they are to bring hope and healing
to the country's First Nations, most of whom have had church connections
for centuries.

Kobia was making his first visit to Canada as general secretary, beginning
his tour this week in this mid-western Prairie city where First Nations are
a significant part of the population. A panel of Aboriginal people met with
Kobia at Thunderbird House on 30 September, a gathering place for
Indigenous spirituality. Two clergy from the Cree Nation, Very Rev. Stan
McKay, former Moderator of the United Church of Canada, representing his
church's All Native Circle Conference and Canon Murrray Still, an Anglican
priest from the Rupert's Land diocesan Council on Indigenous Ministry,
described the process of apologies and healing the churches had undertaken.

Anglicans, Presbyterians, Roman Catholic religious orders and the United
Church of Canada operated hundreds of Indian residential schools across
Canada for decades until 1969 on behalf of the federal government. The
authorities had a policy of Native assimilation into European society, and
the schools forced children to speak English only and to deny their
Indigenous culture and religion. Some of the former European and Canadian
clerical and lay staff have been charged and convicted of sexual and
physical abuse.

In 1993, First Nations' organizations began hiring lawyers to bring legal
action against the government and the four churches for the abuse and
destruction of their culture and families. To date the churches and
government have issued apologies by their leaders, established healing
funds and the churches are attempting to raise millions of dollars to
compensate for the emotional and physical abuse done to the children and
their descendents. Bankruptcy has forced some regions to close churches and
religious orders. More than 4,000 cases are before the courts.

The Winnipeg panel told Kobia of the residential schools' response group
set up in their area which is ecumenical and involves churches which did
not operate the schools. The general secretary responded with four
suggestions:
'     Healing cannot be achieved without struggling with the issues of
racism, poverty, violence and abuse;
'     There must be a mutual recognition of vulnerability by the children
who were victims and by the perpetrators of the abuse;
'     Recognize the global nature of these issues and that the whole Body
of Christ, all the churches together, need to work for healing and
wholeness; and
'     Accept that Christians walk together both globally and locally in an
ecumenical journey and that the World Council of Churches walks with the
Canadian    churches.

Winnipeg, a city of nearly one million, is the national headquarters for
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, a member church of the WCC, as
well as the Mennonite Church of Canada and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of
Canada. Leaders of all major local churches, including two Roman Catholic
archdioceses and the Ukrainian Catholic archdiocese lunched with Kobia at
Thunderbird House after he gave a public lecture at the University of
Winnipeg on "New Visions and Challenges to Ecumenism in the 21st century."

Kobia focused on trends which will impact and influence ecumenism in the
21st century and the meaning of spirituality and ecumenism * "the
experiential dimension of lived ecumenism." Kobia said that while
institutional or mainline churches may be on the decline in Europe and
North America, Christianity is thriving in the countries of the South. In
the North, he said, there is also an emerging and vital church, especially
in the Pentecostal and Evangelical sectors.

"Because of their location, the National Councils of Churches are
challenged to provide ecumenical frameworks and spaces for sharing new
realities," Kobia commented. "Another factor which will have to take into
account the growing phenomenon of living in a multi-faith context. This is
particularly evident in multi-cultural Canada. This situation challenges us
to consider more deeply the concept of broader ecumenism and the
relationship between deepening interchurch and interfaith dialogue."

Kobia also urged the audience to seek "a holy ground on which to stand,
from which we Christians may be able to exercise leverage on a world in
need of transformation."

The WCC general secretary flew from Winnipeg to Toronto, Canada's largest
city, where he has a series of meetings on Friday with leaders of other
member churches: the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Anglican Church of
Canada, and the United Church of Canada. He will lunch with members and
staff of Kairos, a unique ecumenical coalition of Canadian churches dealing
with justice, peace, economic and environmental issues in Canada and
internationally. Friday evening he will meet with, and address, leaders of
all WCC member churches in Canada and the 19 member churches of the
Canadian Council of Churches, which includes the Roman Catholic Church,
Canada's largest denomination.

On Saturday 2 October he will meet with theological students of African
descent, address the Centre for Ecumenism on "The Impact of Interfaith
Relations on Ecumenical Theology and Practice" and participate in a panel.
Sunday Kobia flies to Ottawa, the Canadian capital, where on Sunday he will
worship at a Presbyterian Church and later preach at an ecumenical worship
service. He will spend Monday 4 October in Ottawa before leaving for the
USA.

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.