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Greek church leaders have called for "coordinated efforts and a united Christian witness" to tackle global problems more effectively.
“The church does not close its eyes to the burning issues of our times, issues that can only be dealt with effectively through coordinated efforts and a united Christian witness,” stated Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens during a meeting with the WCC general secretary in Athens.
Christodoulos recalled that “such concerns led the Orthodox Church of Greece to become a founding member of the World Council of Churches in 1948.”
Members of the 12-person Holy Synod of the Church of Greece and other hierarchs, presided by the archbishop, met with Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia on 12 May to discuss progress in WCC-Orthodox relations and other issues.
The three-day visit to Greece, the first by the WCC general secretary, coincided with the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism which opened near Athens earlier in the week. Kobia expressed the “deep gratitude” of the Council for the invitation of the Church of Greece to host the conference, and for the “splendid welcome” of the Holy Synod.
Hope and measured optimism
During the meeting, the Orthodox church leader reiterated his “sense of hope and measured optimism” for the future of Orthodox participation in the WCC, following proposals for reform made by the Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC, which was set up in 1998 to address Orthodox criticism of the Council's orientation and priorities. The archbishop expressed his hope that the suggested changes will be endorsed to “the benefit not only of the Orthodox churches but the entire WCC constituency”.
Responding to the archbishop, Kobia thanked the Church of Greece and other Orthodox churches for opting to be “active protagonists and not mere spectators” in the life of the ecumenical movement. He affirmed that the “harvest” of the work of the Special Commission anticipates “radical changes in the life, culture and direction of the WCC, allowing this unique fellowship of Christian churches to face the challenges of the 21st century.”
Kobia also held talks with the synodal committee on inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian relations, which is the church’s main body responsible for ecumenical relations. Meetings with the international mission agency of the Church of Greece, ‘Apostoliki Diakonia’, which is actively involved in foreign and domestic missions, resulted in a commitment to revive programmatic collaboration with the Council in the areas of mission and service.
Olympic ideals
Earlier, on 11 May, the WCC general secretary met with the Greek minister of education and religion, Ms Marietta Giannakou. The delegation discussed the contribution of dialogue in all forms to overcoming intercultural conflicts, and the necessity of multilateral platforms such as WCC. The WCC general secretary recalled that Greek philosophy and Olympic ideals had proved to be powerful forces for greater understanding and unity of mankind - values which were shared by the ecumenical movement.
Kobia remains in Greece until 16 May, and is accompanied by WCC deputy general secretary Mr Georges Lemopoulos.
The full text of the addresses of Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and of Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, respectively, are available on the WCC website:
www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/christodoulos-welcome.html
www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/kobia-greece.html
Photos of the meeting on 12 May are available on the WCC website: