News
The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has expressed deep sadness over the death of the Rev. Ron O’Grady, who passed away on 26 February at the age of 83 after a battle with cancer.
O’Grady, an ecumenically committed minister in the Associated Churches of Christ New Zealand, served in several leadership positions within the churches and their ecumenical organizations. He was known for his work on children’s rights, and was founder of the child protection agency END Child Protection, Child Pornography and Trafficking for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT), based in Thailand.
Among the publications to O’Grady’s credit, he was an author for WCC Publications. He was editor of Christ for All People: Celebrating a World of Christian Art, co-editor of The Bible through Asian Eyes and author of The Hidden Shame of the Church: Sexual Abuse of Children and the Church in the Risk Book Series.
“Ron O’Grady will be remembered for his contributions for human rights, especially his works as an activist, author and editor addressing the issues of child protection,” said Tveit.
Commending O’Grady’s leadership in churches and ecumenical organizations, regionally and globally, Tveit conveyed his “profound condolences” to the Christian Conference of Asia, where O’Grady served as an associate general secretary from 1973 to 1977 and in 1978.
