Christian unity entails transformation, says WCC leader
-20/01/06
Spirituality oriente
Christian unity entails transformation, says WCC leader
-20/01/06
Spirituality oriented towards Christian unity requires ìa readiness to rethink and to be convertedî and a willingness ìto bear the otherness of the other, including refugees, people of another colour and other faiths, the old and the poor – all God’s people,î declared the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, on the first day of the 2006 worldwide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Preaching at a service in the French-language church in Switzerlandís capital Bern on 18 January, Dr Kobia recognized that bearing what he called ìthe otherness of the otherî is ìnot a simple matterî.
For this to happen, he said, Christians ìmust develop the spiritual capacity to hear and see the grace of God in the other, […] the capacity to feel the pulse of the world around us and to listen to the voices of those far and nearî.
According to the WCC general secretary, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has a ìvery significant roleî to play in such an endeavour.
He explained: ìAs we meet, sing, pray and worship together here in Bern in the context of the universality of the world-wide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, […] we are one with our brothers and sisters in Bolivia, in Kiribati, in Botswana and, yes, with our Irish brothers and sisters who have prepared the liturgical materials we are using this week.î
Dr Kobia also gave thanks to God for the ìworld-wide communityî which each year comes ìtogether in spirit to pray for God’s energy and guidance in search of unityî.
ìPrayer,î the ecumenical leader said, ìremains at the heart of the unity that we seek.î A unity that is ìnot just for our sake, but also for the sake of the worldî.
The WCC chief has been in Bern for the past two days paying his first official visit to the churches of the country that is home to the headquarters of the WCC.
During his visit, Dr Kobia met with the leadership of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (SEK-FEPS) and its member churches. He also met with Moritz Leuenberger, the president of Switzerlandís seven-member Federal Council, and with Micheline Calmy-Rey, the federal councillor responsible for foreign affairs.
The WCC general secretaryís discussion with SEK-FEPS focused on ecumenism in the 21st century, touching on such issues as confessionalism versus emerging mega-churches, the declining influence of the churches in Europe, and such possible ecumenical models as that generated by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
CTBI, successor to the British Council of Churches, includes Roman Catholics as full members. It has moved away from speaking ìon behalf ofî the different Christian confessions that it brings together, emphasising a more modest coordinating role.
But CTBI has also suffered from funding cuts and restrictions, and is currently being reshaped. In Britain ecumenical organisation can be a lifeline for smaller churches, but is often treated with some scepticism by the ëbig playersí.
The Swiss church leaders indicated to Dr Kobia that SEK-FEPS hopes to get more involved in the WCC’s 2001-2010 Decade to Overcome Violence, especially in view of the planned DOV focus on Europe in 2007.
Similarly, SEK-FEPS is interested in working with the WCC on the issue of globalization in general, and water in particular.
Primarily an opportunity to discuss the WCC’s role and work, the WCC leaderís meeting with Swiss president Moritz Leuenberger allowed them to exchange views on the topic of access to water, which is increasingly becoming an issue in Switzerland as it is in other parts of the world.
The main foci of Kobia’s discussion with Micheline Calmy-Rey were United Nations reform, the situation in Israel-Palestine, and Korea.
Referring to security, human rights, and development as the three pillars of the UN system, the WCC general secretary congratulated the Swiss government on being ìat the forefront in the UN on security and human rights issuesî, but indicated that ìthere are more expectations in relation to the third pillar, developmentî, in regard particularly to Switzerlandís overseas development assistance.
[Also on Ekklesia: Divisions in Ireland inspire prayers for Christian unity week; Christian unity prayers focus on tsunami; Irish churches make reconciliation the focus for Christian unity; Catholics host anglican exhibition; Catholic and Anglican archbishops pray together for tsunami; Re-built church hosts peace week; Ecumenical body faces post-Christendom shake-up]
Christian unity entails transformation, says WCC leader
-20/01/06
Spirituality oriented towards Christian unity requires ‘a readiness to rethink and to be converted’ and a willingness ‘to bear the otherness of the other, including refugees, people of another colour and other faiths, the old and the poor – all God’s people,’ declared the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, on the first day of the 2006 worldwide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Preaching at a service in the French-language church in Switzerland’s capital Bern on 18 January, Dr Kobia recognized that bearing what he called ‘the otherness of the other’ is ‘not a simple matter’.
For this to happen, he said, Christians ‘must develop the spiritual capacity to hear and see the grace of God in the other, […] the capacity to feel the pulse of the world around us and to listen to the voices of those far and near’.
According to the WCC general secretary, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has a ‘very significant role’ to play in such an endeavour.
He explained: ‘As we meet, sing, pray and worship together here in Bern in the context of the universality of the world-wide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, […] we are one with our brothers and sisters in Bolivia, in Kiribati, in Botswana and, yes, with our Irish brothers and sisters who have prepared the liturgical materials we are using this week.’
Dr Kobia also gave thanks to God for the ‘world-wide community’ which each year comes ‘together in spirit to pray for God’s energy and guidance in search of unity’.
‘Prayer,’ the ecumenical leader said, ‘remains at the heart of the unity that we seek.’ A unity that is ‘not just for our sake, but also for the sake of the world’.
The WCC chief has been in Bern for the past two days paying his first official visit to the churches of the country that is home to the headquarters of the WCC.
During his visit, Dr Kobia met with the leadership of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (SEK-FEPS) and its member churches. He also met with Moritz Leuenberger, the president of Switzerland’s seven-member Federal Council, and with Micheline Calmy-Rey, the federal councillor responsible for foreign affairs.
The WCC general secretary’s discussion with SEK-FEPS focused on ecumenism in the 21st century, touching on such issues as confessionalism versus emerging mega-churches, the declining influence of the churches in Europe, and such possible ecumenical models as that generated by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI).
CTBI, successor to the British Council of Churches, includes Roman Catholics as full members. It has moved away from speaking ‘on behalf of’ the different Christian confessions that it brings together, emphasising a more modest coordinating role.
But CTBI has also suffered from funding cuts and restrictions, and is currently being reshaped. In Britain ecumenical organisation can be a lifeline for smaller churches, but is often treated with some scepticism by the ëbig players’.
The Swiss church leaders indicated to Dr Kobia that SEK-FEPS hopes to get more involved in the WCC’s 2001-2010 Decade to Overcome Violence, especially in view of the planned DOV focus on Europe in 2007.
Similarly, SEK-FEPS is interested in working with the WCC on the issue of globalization in general, and water in particular.
Primarily an opportunity to discuss the WCC’s role and work, the WCC leader’s meeting with Swiss president Moritz Leuenberger allowed them to exchange views on the topic of access to water, which is increasingly becoming an issue in Switzerland as it is in other parts of the world.
The main foci of Kobia’s discussion with Micheline Calmy-Rey were United Nations reform, the situation in Israel-Palestine, and Korea.
Referring to security, human rights, and development as the three pillars of the UN system, the WCC general secretary congratulated the Swiss government on being ‘at the forefront in the UN on security and human rights issues’, but indicated that ‘there are more expectations in relation to the third pillar, development’, in regard particularly to Switzerland’s overseas development assistance.
[Also on Ekklesia: Divisions in Ireland inspire prayers for Christian unity week; Christian unity prayers focus on tsunami; Irish churches make reconciliation the focus for Christian unity; Catholics host anglican exhibition; Catholic and Anglican archbishops pray together for tsunami; Re-built church hosts peace week; Ecumenical body faces post-Christendom shake-up]