World Council of Churches Media relations office
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pu-04-25
4 May 2004
Istanbul: Ecumenical Patriarch assures WCC of continued cooperation and support
Cf. WCC Upcoming Events May 2004 of 23 April 2004
"You are at home here," were the words used by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to welcome the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, on Saturday 1 May 2004.
Kobia was beginning his first visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople since taking up his new post in January; the Patriarchate enjoys a "primacy of honour" among the Orthodox churches, related to the ancient status of Constantinople as capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.
In his welcome, the Ecumenical Patriarch said that, as one of the founding members of the WCC in 1948, the Ecumenical Patriarchate "has always collaborated fully" and "will continue to work within the WCC towards the unity of the church".
Recalling that "We have worked closely with your predecessors and will continue to do so," he assured the WCC general secretary of his prayers and support, and encouraged him to visit the Patriarchate regularly in coming years.
In recent years, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has given strong support to the work of the Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC, established in 1998 following mounting criticism of the WCC from several Orthodox member churches.
Kobia highlighted "the pioneering role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the areas of ecology and interreligious relations," and said that it is "an important source of inspiration for all of us".
Welcoming the new WCC general secretary during a Monday morning meeting with the Patriarchate's Synodical Commission on Inter-Church Affairs, the president of the Commission, Metropolitan Prof. Dr Athanassios of Helioupolis and Theiron, expressed joy that Kobia will be bringing "African spirituality, culture and traditions to the Council's life and activities".
For his part, Metropolitan Prof. Dr Gennadios of Sassima recalled that as "the first major ecumenical gathering of the 21st century", the WCC's ninth assembly in 2006 "should strengthen the call for unity and renew the commitment to the fellowship of churches".
Spirituality and ecumenical formation were evoked by Kobia and members of the Commission - the highest decision-making body of the Patriarchate on ecumenical relations - as being at the heart of the WCC's ongoing work and programmes. The Commission members and the WCC visitors agreed that dealing only with structures without spirituality could become "a meaningless exercise". The need to "enlarge the circle of younger ecumenists prepared to face the challenges of ecumenism in the 21st century" was also affirmed.
On Monday afternoon, the WCC general secretary visited the Orthodox School of Theology of Halki. Although the school has been closed since 1971, much hope and strenuous efforts have been directed towards its re-opening.
The WCC visit ended today with a courtesy visit to the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and all Turkey, His Beatitude Mesrop II.
The delegation, which was accompanied by Archimandrite Benedikt (Ioannou), the permanent representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch to the WCC, was composed of Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary, Mr Georges Lemopoulos, deputy general secretary, and Ms Sabine Udodesku, executive secretary.
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