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The newly chosen general secretary of the Anglican Communion, Rev. Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, the bishop of Kaduna in Nigeria, has served on the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee and has worked with the Council on interfaith dialogue.
WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit sent a letter to Bishop Idowu-Fearon on 2 April congratulating him after the announcement of his appointment by the Anglican Consultative Council and offered him the WCC’s support in his work.
“This is a role demanding great responsibility and leadership as you impart a vision for the diversity of Anglican provinces. You are called to serve the communion’s needs, lifting up causes for hope and celebration, and discerning strong responses for its challenges,” said Tveit.
“This ministry you are taking up is valuable and sacred. It holds the potential for deepening relationships within the communion and beyond it, and for witnessing to the spirit of reconciliation through your own faithfulness and vision.”
Idowu-Fearon served on the WCC’s Central Committee between the 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre in 2006 until the 2013, 10th Assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea.
He also participated in the Christian Muslim International Consultation, Geneva in November 2010.
“Your exceptional record of devoted work on Christian-Muslim relations is a specific gift you bring to your new role,” said Tveit in his letter to Idowu-Fearon.
“Developing the role of churches as peace-builders and dialogue partners in a time when religiously motivated violence is causing devastation to so many is an urgent demand for us all as faithful Christians.”
Tveit said that through the meetings of general secretaries of Christian World Communions, in which the World Council of Churches takes part, he would have the opportunity to share in relationship building and collaboration throughout one ecumenical movement.
“The churches of the Anglican Communion are dynamic leaders in the life of our fellowship of churches, for which we give great thanks to God,” added Tveit.
“I pray that your wisdom and experience will inform not only the activities of the Anglican Communion in this regard, but the wider ecumenical family as well. We seek to work with you in this and many other areas of our common Christian life,” said Tveit.
Dr Idowu-Fearon has a PhD (sociology) and postgraduate diploma in education from Nigeria’s Ahmadu Bello University, an MA in Islamic theology from the UK’s Birmingham University, and a BA in theology from Durham University in the UK.
