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The valuable contribution of Pentecostal churches to the ecumenical movement was emphasized by World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia during his recent visit to Chile, November 19-20.
"Through a new openness to ecumenism, the dynamism and energy of Pentecostalism can significantly enrich the search for unity among Christian churches," said Kobia after meeting with a group of bishops and pastors representing Chilean Pentecostal churches.
Over the course of the meeting, Kobia emphasized the importance of the Pentecostal contribution while underlining the need for the ecumenical movement to be firmly rooted in a solid spirituality. He also invited the represented churches to participate in the preparation process and in the WCC Assembly to be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil in February 2006.
Without denying that division is an ever-present reality, meeting participants emphasized signs of a closer relationship, such as the joint celebration this year of the 95th anniversary of Chilean Pentecostalism. However, they also recognized that there is a great deal to be done. "We are a diverse church but one that seeks reconciliation under the illumination and guidance of the Holy Spirit," said one of the participants.
The theme of the WCC Assembly - God, in your Grace, transform the world - and the invitation to participate, as well as the emphasis Kobia placed on the role of young people during the event, were welcomed by participants in the meeting.
Together with the WCC general secretary, participants included representatives form the Pentecostal Church of Chile, the Pentecostal Mission Church, the Free Pentecostal Mission Church of Chile - three WCC member churches. Other participants included representatives from the Methodist Pentecostal Church, the Communion of Brothers, the Universal Apostolic Mission, the Ebenezer Pentecostal Church and Filadelfia, the House of Youth.
Prior to the meeting and at the invitation of Bishop Ulises Muñoz, Kobia preached during a special worship service celebrated in the cathedral of the Pentecostal Church of Chile in Curico, some 190 kilometers from Santiago.
<span style="font-weight: bold; "»» An unequal society
Another issue that stood out in the meeting was concern about the poverty affecting Chilean society. While the economy grows, poverty and extreme poverty are far from being eliminated, said participants. "Few crumbs fall from the table of the lords," one of them said.
The same issue had emerged in previous meetings that Kobia held with representatives from WCC member churches and ecumenical organizations. The reality of an economic growth that is not accompanied by an adequate distribution of wealth is something that participants spoke strongly about.
"The trickle-down theory is false," said Manuel Ossa, of the Diego Medellín Center.
"They want to show us that everything is fine in Chile, but those of us who work in the poor neighborhoods know it isn't so," said Rev. Gloria Rojas, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile.
The "scandalous" disparities between the rich and poor in Chile were also recognized by the minister mecretary general of the presidency, Eduardo Dockendorff, who made time to meet with the WCC secretary in the midst of a tight schedule due to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) that was taking place in Santiago.
The minister added, however, that the Chilean government has managed to stop the growth of this gap, and that poverty has declined by 50% since 1990.
<span style="font-weight: bold; "»» Memory park
A highly significant moment in Kobia's activities in Chile was a visit to Villa Grimaldi, a clandestine detention centre used during the Pinochet dictatorship.
The visit took place just as the country is awaiting publication of the report from the National Commission on Political Detention and Torture, a commission created by the president. The report, based on close to 30,000 testimonies of torture, is expected to contain harsh revelations about what took place during the military regime.
Located outside Santiago, the property, which is now a "Memory Park," was the main centre of operations of the Metropolitan Intelligence Brigade. It is calculated that some 4,500 to 5,000 people passed through the centre between 1973 and 1978.
"This was an extermination centre," said Rodrigo del Villar, a survivor who was illegally detained there for 12 days in January 1975. Together with Hernan Plaza, another survivor who was detained for a month in February 1975, they gave the WCC general secretary a tour and explained how Villa Grimaldi operated.
"The stories we have heard here help understand how inhuman human beings can be," said Kobia, who expressed the hope that what happened there "never happens again here or anywhere".
Toward the end of his visit to Chile, the WCC general secretary met with Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago Msgr. Sergio Abad, of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. The two men discussed issues such as Christian emigration from Palestine and the status of Jerusalem.
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