杏MAP导航

By Linda Bordoni

The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches said 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� visit is 鈥渁 very strong recognition of the work done in the past 70 years鈥�.

杏MAP导航 Francis travels to Geneva on Thursday 21 June on a visit that is being dubbed an 鈥渆cumenical pilgrimage鈥� during which he will mark the 70th anniversary from the foundation of the WCC.

During his day in Geneva the 杏MAP导航 will participate in an ecumenical encounter at WCC headquarters, he will lead an ecumenical prayer service and he will lunch at the WCC鈥檚 Bossey Ecumenical Institute, as well as meet privately with the President of the Swiss Confederation and l celebrate Holy Mass at the Palaexpo convention center before departing for Rome.

The WCC is the broadest and most inclusive among the many organized expressions of the modern ecumenical movement, a movement whose goal is Christian unity.

It brings together churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 500 million Christians and including most of the world's Orthodox churches, scores of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed churches, as well as many United and Independent churches. Today it includes 350 member churches.

Speaking to Vatican News, Rev. Dr. Olaf Fykse Tveit, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches said the 杏MAP导航鈥檚 desire to mark the Council鈥檚 70th anniversary in person is a powerful sign of his consideration for the work being done by the churches to achieve full Christian Unity.

Rev. Dr. Tveit said that by accepting the WCC鈥檚 invitation, not only is 杏MAP导航 Francis recognizing the work the WCC has achieved during the past 70 years, he is also highlighting the value of the Catholic Church鈥檚 relationship with the Council.

鈥淲e have had a joint working group and we have worked in many ways together but now he affirms it with his own presence鈥� he said.

This, he said, is seen and recognized and appreciated very much by the WCC, but also by member churches around the world. And this visit, he added, will certainly have a very positive effect also on relationships both on the local and national level in many different contexts around the world.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about Geneva and the Vatican . This is about how we are Church together in many places. If the 杏MAP导航 can come and visit the WCC, why cannot our member churches and the Catholic Church be together in many places in the world?鈥� he said.

Regarding the journey accomplished by the WCC in the 70 years since its foundation, Tveit said 鈥渨e are definitely in another place than we were 70 years ago鈥�.

鈥淲hat they could hardly even imagine then, is almost taken for granted now鈥� he said.

And this, he explained, regards the type of relationship that exists between the churches today, how many have found common ground and expressed their unity in many ways.

鈥淚 think we also can see that these 70 years have been a long pilgrimage during which we have learnt a lot about what it means to live with diversity, with differences, but still have a strong common calling and common vision, and some very important common experiences鈥� he said.

We have learnt from our experiences, Tveit concluded, how to reconcile but also how to speak the truth to one another: 鈥渁nd in this the fellowship has grown鈥�