"What I would expect as we go about our work on mission and evangelization in the 21st century is that we recognize the diversity of the multi-faith reality of the world today," said Rev. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of World Council of Churches which met in Athens in May. Warning against "religiously-fuelled racism, culture wars and the clash of civilizations," Kobia said many exponents of particular religions intentionally discounted people of different beliefs and encouraged aggressive behaviour towards them. He noted that interfaith dialogue would be a priority for the WCC.
But there are rifts within the WCC itself. This was the first time, since 1910 that the Catholic Church sent a full delegate. And the Greek Orthodox church was under attack by some of its own members for conversing with other denominations.
Still the opportunity for dialogue was welcome at the conference, whose theme was "Come, Holy Spirit, heal and reconcile."
Continuing shifts in global dynamics "though often providing healing, joy and comfort, may also create tensions and disunity," said Kobia in his keynote address to the conference.
The global gathering of church leaders ended with calls to respond to Christianity's rapid growth in Africa and Asia and to engage in dialogue with other believers. It also heard calls for churches to deal with other global challenges including the world's HIV/AIDS pandemic, and what was described as a global system that concentrates economic power in fewer hands.
— Stephen Brown, ENI
