wfn.org | WCC NEWS: WCC welcomes Vatican's new chief ecumenist

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>World Council of Churches - News

>WCC WELCOMES VATICAN'S NEW CHIEF ECUMENIST

>For immediate release: 30 June 2010

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav  Fykse
Tveit has welcomed the appointment of Bishop Kurt Koch as new president  of
the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

"We rejoice at the appointment of Bishop Kurt Koch as president  of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity", said Tveit commenting
the news in Moscow. "We welcome his appointment and look forward  to
working with him for the visible unity of the church", he added.

Tveit said that "Bishop Koch is well known for his openness and  deep
ecumenical commitment. His book 'That all may be one; Ecumenical
perspectives' is an excellent summary of the present state of ecumenical
dialogue and relations".

"We see in Bishop Koch a reliable partner for all those involved  in the
ecumenical movement and trust he will continue Cardinal Walter Kasper's
emphasis on spiritual ecumenism", Tveit said.

"Bishop Koch has been given a very important responsibility as the  call for
all Christians to be one comes from Jesus Christ himself", Tveit  said. "I
wish him much joy in fulfilling this calling, and that God may give  him
strength."

Currently bishop of the diocese of Basel,  Switzerland, Koch has  been a
member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity since  2002.
He will succeed Cardinal Walter Kasper, who is retiring, on 1 July.

More information on relations between the WCC and the Roman Catholic  Church
(Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=5af7d15be0a9db07daba  )

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith,  witness and 
service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship  of churches 
founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant,
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560  million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the  Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse  Tveit, from 
the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.