WCC Assembly calls for Visible Unity of All Churches

by SOCM News Bureau

The plenary session of the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, the first to be held in Latin America, was opened in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on February 14th by the WCC Moderator Catholicos Aram I of Armenian Orthodox Church. Music, drums and drama marked the opening plenary session of the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches. A record number of young people attended the event. Delegates were greeted by Bishop Adriel de Souza Maia on behalf of Brazilian churches, Bishop Julio Holguin, on behalf of Latin American churches, the vice-mayor of Porto Alegre, Eliseu Santos, and by the Honourable Germano Rigotto, governor of Rio Grande Sul. Church leaders unable to be present at the opening event were read at the Assembly; this included the ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew I and the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. The message of Pope Benedict XVI was read by Cardinal Walter Kaspar, who participated as an observer representing the Roman Catholic Church which is not a member of the WCC.

Declaring the Assembly open, Catholicos Aram I remarked that it was the first time an Assembly had been held in Latin America, and noted the record number of young people attending.

Prayer, Bible study and conversation were integral to the event, he said, which could be described as a “consensus assembly” because of the new voting procedures. Aram concluded, “This Assembly is essentially a spiritual event. I invite and challenge you to make it a spiritual event in the authentic sense of the word.”

Delegates were greeted according to the region from which they came. Bishop Adriel de Souza Maia greeted the delegates on behalf of Brazilian churches, saying that to host the Assembly was “an honour” for Brazil. Bishop Julio Holguin, on behalf of Latin American churches, said, “We open our arms and hearts to receive you with the warmth and joy—characteristic of our purposes and our churches.”

He added, “Our greatest desire would have been to come together around the table of the Lord. The ecumenical movement ought to be able to share the gift of grace in each one of us.” Delegates applauded his comments.

Thirty-one new member churches were received into the WCC.

The Syrian Orthodox Church was represented by a delegation that consisted of:

H.E. Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim (Eastern USA)—outgoing member of the Central and Executive Committees of WCC
H.E. Mor Theophilus George Saliba (Lebanon)
H.E. Mor Themotheose Thomas (Kottayam)
H.E. Mor Gregorios Joseph (Kochi)
H.E. Mor Yousef Abd. Alahda Matti (Argentina)
H.E. Mor Severius Malki Murad (Jerusalem)
H.E. Mor Osthathios Matta Rohum (Jezirah & Euphrates)
Fr. George Mathew Nalunnakkal (India)—Vice Moderator of WCC’s Commission on World Mission and Evangelism
Mr. Theodore B.T. Issa (Australia)
Ms. Faten Hanna Al-Kass (Syria)
Ms. Alya Basheer (USA)

His Holiness Ignatius Zakka 1 Iwas, the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, one of the outgoing Presidents of the Council, could not attend the Assembly for health reasons.

In his greeting message, His Holiness said: “We are delighted that the World Council of Churches has adopted ‘God in your grace, transform the world’ as the theme for its 9th Assembly; such a theme gives hope to all participants and the world at large. The theme comes to us at a time when the church is examining its prophetic message to the world in the third millennium dealing with social justice, reconciliation and peace.”

H.E. Mor Theophilus George Saliba of the Syrian Orthodox Church under the Patriarchate of Antioch made a powerful plea to the WCC assembly in Porto Alegre on behalf of the Middle Eastern delegation to the Assembly. In an emotional appeal, the Archbishop reminded the assembly that the region which is the cradle of Christianity and the birth place of Jesus Christ has been torn by conflicts and tensions for decades and it is time that the global church body applied its focus on the region. The appeal was greeted with thunderous applause.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams who arrived after the plenary session addressed the assembly noting that Christians in a world of plural convictions are in a place which is “both promising and deeply risky.”

“We are called to show utter commitment to the God who is revealed in Jesus and to all those to whom his invitation is addressed,” he said. He rejected aggressive efforts to convert those of other faiths, saying, “We are not called to win competitions or arguments in favour of ‘our product’ in some religious market-place.”

In a plenary session on Christian identity and religious plurality, Dr Williams urged churches worldwide to keep in mind the sufferings of Christians living as persecuted minorities, drawing applause from the participants. He continued, “Yet what is remarkable is the courage with which Christians continue - in Egypt, in Pakistan, in the Balkans, even in Iraq - to seek ways of continuing to work alongside non-Christian neighbours.”

Representatives of the US Conference for the World Council of Churches (WCC) addressed a message to the WCC’s 9th Assembly on 18 February saying that the US-led Iraq war was a “mistake”, and apologized to the ecumenical community for failing to raise a prophetic voice to prevent it.

The Very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, moderator of the US Conference for the WCC, made up of 34 US churches that are members of the Council, told a 9th Assembly plenary, “We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched with deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights.”

A new body to lead the World Council of Churches (WCC) into the next decade was elected in Porto Alegre on Wednesday. Delegates at the WCC’s 9th Assembly also endorsed measures designed to strengthen youth participation in the organization’s decision-making.

The Assembly elected a 150-member central committee, which serves as the main decision-making body of the Council between assemblies. The Assembly also appointed presidents for each of the world regions and for the Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches.

The new 150-person central committee has 63 women (42%), 22 youth (15%), and six indigenous persons (4%). Ninety-seven members of the committee are ordained (65%). The nominations committee worked with a pool of names put forward by the WCC’s 348 member churches. A 25-person executive committee, a moderator and two vice-moderators will be elected by the central committee later this week.

The role of the WCC presidents is to promote ecumenism and to interpret the work of the WCC, especially in their respective regions. The presidents are ex-officio members of central committee.

The eight WCC presidents are Rev. Prof. Dr Simon Dossou, Methodist Church in Benin; Rev. Dr Soritua Nababan, Protestant Christian Batak Church (Indonesia); Rev. Dr Ofelia Ortega, Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba; Dr Mary Tanner, Church of England; Rev. Dr Bernice Powell Jackson, United Church of Christ (USA); Mr John Taroanui Doom, Maòhi Protestant Church (French Polynesia); Archbishop Dr Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania; His Holiness Abune Paulos, Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

His Holiness Abune Paulos is the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which has a membership of 40 million. He has served as a member of central committee and the Faith and Order commission, and attended the Nairobi assembly. He has participated in many international meetings, including the World Economic Forum and the World Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders at the United Nations, and has been instrumental in encouraging interfaith dialogue in Ethiopia. He has shown keen interest in youth, women’s issues and HIV/AIDS, acting as patron of the national programme on HIV/AIDS. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the protection and welfare of refugees, he was awarded the Nansen Medal for Africa by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2000.

His Eminence Mor Eusthathios Matta Rohum of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East has been elected to the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches for the next seven years. The Central Committee is the decision making body of the WCC. His Eminence is also on the nomination committee which would elect the new moderator of the Central Committee. His Eminence Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim had represented the Church on the Central Committee and the Executive Committee during the last seven years.

Rev. Fr. Dr. George Mathew Nalunnakkal, representing the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East at the WCC’s 9th Assembly at Porto Alegre, has been appointed to serve on a core group on The Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) for the next seven years. Fr. George Nalunnakkal was nominated to the core group by the Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas. The Core Group consists of six people from various countries and ecclesial backgrounds. Fr. George Mathew represents the Oriental Orthodox Churches as well as Asian Churches on the Core Group. Fr. George Mathew Nalunnakkal who is a priest in Kottayam diocese has served the CWME as its Vice moderator during its last term (1991-1996). Fr. George Mathew Nalunnakkal is also the Director of India center for Social Change. This institution cares for around 150 differently abled children in seven centers in Kerala. He was professor at M.S.O.T. Seminary of our Church, United Theological College Bangalore and was Executive Secretary of the National Council of Churches in India. He is also one of the founder directors of Mor Adai Study Center.

The 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches ended with a moving closing prayer with a call for further visible unity of churches world wide. The closing prayer was attended by about 4000 participants from various ecclesial and regional backgrounds.