German federal president to deliver keynote speech at WCC 11th Assembly
The World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany, from 31 August to 8 September, under the theme "Christ's love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” German federal president Frank-Walter Steinmeier will deliver the keynote speech and the minister-president of Baden-Württemberg Winfried Kretschmann will greet the assembly at the opening day 31 August.
Messages will also be delivered by Prof. Barbara Traub, member of the Presidium of the Central Council of Jews and Imam Erol Pûrlû, representative of the Co-coordination Council of Muslims in Germany.
The local hosts will be represented by Bishop Petra Bosse-Huber (Evangelical Church in Germany) and Bishop Prof. Dr Heike Springhart (Protestant Church in Baden), moderators of the local host committee.
WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed his great joy at the upcoming gathering. “President Steinmeier, local leaders, religious leaders, and so many others—I look forward to your lively engagement in our blessed fellowship,” he said. “I look forward to your contributions, your reflections, and your perspective as we explore together the world’s many challenges within the theme of Christ’s love for our times.”
The WCC 11th Assembly will take place at the joint invitation of the Evangelical Church in Germany, the Protestant Church in Baden, the Council of Churches in Germany, the Union of Protestant Churches in Alsace and Lorraine, and the Protestant Church in Switzerland.
The assembly is the WCC’s highest governing body, and normally meets every eight years. It is the only time when the entire fellowship of member churches comes together in one place for prayer and celebration.
A WCC assembly is a special time in the lives of member churches, ecumenical partners and other churches, as it brings together participants, coming from all over the world. It is a unique opportunity for the churches to deepen their commitment to visible unity and common witness. This makes a WCC assembly the most diverse Christian gathering of its size in the world.
Media contact:
Marianne Ejdersten, Director of Communication, World Council of Churches, [email protected]
- Source: www.oikoumene.org | World Council of Churches
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.