News
All four sites being proposed for the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 2005 look good to most Central Committee members. So good that the proponent of one site suggests wryly that the Council choose all four of them.
"Why not have an itinerant assembly and move from one city to the next?" asks Bishop Frederico J. Pagura (Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina) with a broad smile. Pagura is a president of the WCC and his first choice is Porto Alegre (Brazil).
The other cities being considered are Seoul (Korea), Nicosia (Cyprus), and Glasgow (Scotland).
"Each city has very attractive elements and I'm sure all of us will support any decision that is taken for the next Assembly," Pagura said Wednesday (28 August). But just in case anyone misses the point, the bishop smiles again and adds that his endorsement of Porto Alegre should be seen in a special context. "It's a miracle that an Argentinian speak for Brazil because we are in permanent competition."
Seriously, though, Pagura says, there has never been a WCC Assembly in Latin America and it's high time.
Professor Dr. Samuel Lee (Presbyterian Church of Korea) reports that the 12 million Christians in Korea would be delighted to welcome the Assembly to Seoul. Korea, says Lee, is one of the best examples of mission success in the world since international missionaries began their work in 1884.
"Asia is very important geopolitically and economically," Lee explains, noting that 60 percent of the world's population lives on the continent. Persons representing a rich diversity of races and ethnic backgrounds live in Asia, and opportunities abound for dialogue among Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and other faith groups.
All eight churches composing the National Council of Churches of Korea, including the Roman Catholic Church, endorse the invitation to the WCC Assembly, says Lee. "For 45 years there has been no Assembly in Asia." The Third Assembly in New Delhi was in 1961.
Nicosia is in an Orthodox country with ties to both Europe and the Middle East, says Bishop Vasilios Karayiannis (Church of Cyprus). Cyprus would be a prime venue for an Assembly "in this very critical period concerning relationships with the WCC and Orthodox churches."
The Church of Cyprus is a member of the Middle East Council of Churches and Nicosia lives daily with all the issues and tragedies of the Middle East crisis. If the Assembly met in Nicosia it would be a major message of support to Middle East Christians, Bishop Karayiannis says.
"The Middle East Council of Churches is preoccupied with the presence of Christians in the Middle East," he reports. "It's dangerous for Christians there because of the conflicts, so they are leaving. Some day in the land of Christ's birth there will be no Christians living there."
The best thing about Glasgow, says the Rev. Norman Shanks (Church of Scotland) is that "it would give delegates a chance to experience Scottish hospitality".
Shanks concedes that Glasgow is not first on most lists for Assembly host. "We're not in on a competitive basis," he says. "But if for whatever reason at the end of the day the Assembly came to Glasgow, we would of course be delighted."
There has never been an Assembly in the United Kingdom, he points out. "An Assembly there would recognize the many English and Scots who made such important contributions to the ecumenical movement. And the effect it would have on British churches and Scottish churches in particular would be dynamic."