News
The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) will meet 22 to 28 June for its second gathering since it was elected at the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea, in 2013. At the invitation of the Church of Norway, the meeting will take place in Trondheim, an important Christian pilgrimage site, which is home to the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.
The Central Committee, which meets every two years, serves as the chief governing body of the WCC until the next assembly. It is responsible for carrying out the policies adopted by the assembly, reviewing and supervising WCC programmes and the budget.
The group of 150 representatives from WCC member churches will review WCC programme planning for 2018-2021 and participate in a series of plenaries and committee meetings. During the weekend they will be visiting congregations in the Trondheim area. The Central Committee will also be welcomed to Trondheim by leaders of Norwegian churches and local government.
The theme of the meeting is “Pilgrimage: Discerning the Landscapes Together.” In addition to review of the programme plans of the WCC, there will be a series of plenary sessions on unity through solidarity with churches, the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, the Middle East, Religion and Violence, and Child Rights. The Central Committee will focus on expanding and deepening the churches’ understanding of their common pilgrimage, and how committee members can best communicate the concept of pilgrimage when they return to the churches they represent.
Media are invited to register for accreditation in advance of the Central Committee. To register, please complete the accreditation form and return it to WCC Communication Department via email: [email protected].
There will be daily press conferences or press briefings at 1:00-1:20 PM CET. They will take place at the Scandic Nidelven Hotel in Conference Room 11. They are also web streamed on the web www.oikoumene.org/live
Date : Wednesday, 22 June 2016
Time : 01:00-1:20 pm CET
Place : Hotel Scandic Nidelven, Trondheim
Room : No 11, Leangen Gard
Biographical notes
The Most Reverend Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien has been the presiding bishop of the Bishop' Conference in the Church of Norway since 2011. She was ordained as a pastor in 1977 and has since held different positions within the Church of Norway. For four years she served as the Secretary General of the Norwegian YWCA/YMCA. In 2005 she was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Borg in Norway.
She has held a number of positions of trust. In 2010 she was elected Vice President of the Lutheran World Federation.
Dr Agnes Abuom, from the Anglican Church of Kenya, was elected unanimously by the WCC 10th Assembly on 8 November 2013 to serve as moderator of the WCC Central Committee. She is the first woman and the first African in the position in the history of the World Council of Churches. Abuom has served on the WCC Executive Committee, representing the Anglican Church of Kenya. She is also a development consultant serving both Kenyan and international organizations coordinating social action programmes for religious and civil society across Africa. Her areas of work include economic justice, peace and reconciliation.
The Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit was elected general secretary of the World Council of Churches in August 2009, and took up his new post in January 2010. At the time of his election, Tveit was the general secretary of the Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations (2002-09).
Before taking up the post of general secretary, Tveit served the WCC as a member of the Faith and Order Plenary Commission and as a co-chair of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum core group.
In his home country, he served as a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Christian Council of Norway, moderator of the Church of Norway - Islamic Council of Norway contact group and the same for the Jewish Congregation contact group. He also was a member of the Inter-Faith Council of Norway and a member of the board of trustees of Norwegian Church Aid.
For more information concerning the Central Committee:
Global media, please contact Marianne Ejdersten, WCC director of communication, via email: [email protected] or telephone: +41.79.507.6363.
Norwegian media, please contact Ingeborg Dybvig, director of communication in the Church of Norway, via email: [email protected] or telephone: +47.230.812.05 or +47.474.816.06
Please contact the press team for media requests. There is also opportunity to interview members of the WCC Central Committee. Media following the press conference online are invited to forward questions to the panel by e-mail: [email protected]
Download the press accreditation form (MS Word document, 71 KB)
More information about the WCC Central Committee
Download interview request form (MS Word document)
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More information about the Church of Norway
More information about the the Christian Council of Norway
Information on Scandic Nidelven
For media attending the Royal Anniversary in the Cathedral of Nidaros