World Council of Churches Office of Communication Press Release 150 route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland E-mail: media | |||
WCC general secretary's visit to the Philippines and Indonesia will focus on social justice and reconciliation | |||
Philippines Raiser is also anxious to gain first-hand knowledge of efforts for reconciliation between Muslims and Christians. Conflicts between them break out regularly, particularly in the south of the country. Besides the capital, Manila, Raiser's visit will therefore also take him to Mindanao, on Monday 13 March, where he will visit both the Southern Christian Leadership College and a Muslim village. On this occasion he will also take part in inter-religious prayers.
Indonesia The WCC general secretary will meet for talks with church leaders from Irian Jaya and the Moluccan Islands, as well as representatives of the Chinese ethnic minority. Raiser hopes these conversations will furnish "detailed background information which will enable the WCC to continue to develop its initiatives for overcoming violence and conflict resolution in the region". At the same time, Raiser wishes to emphasize the readiness of the WCC and its member churches to stand by people in the conflict zones. On Monday 20 March, the WCC general secretary will have conversations with political leaders, including the Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid. To conclude his visit, Raiser will attend the opening of the assembly of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) in Kalimantan. For further information, please contact Sara Speicher, Public Information Team, Tel: (+41.22) 791.63.98
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 337, in more than 100 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 Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany. |