News
The Lutheran insistence on the fact "that we are one because we are sharing the one and same Christ, because we receive the same gift" is something the ecumenical movement needs now "more than ever", said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit speaking in Stuttgart on 21 July.
Tveit was greeting participants at the beginning of the 11th Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) gathered in Stuttgart, Germany from 20-27 July. The theme of the Assembly is "Give Us Today Our Daily Bread". Over a thousand participants from all over the world, including 418 delegates from 140 churches in 79 countries are attending the event.
Offering thanks for the contribution of the Lutheran churches to the fellowship of the WCC "both today and in decades past", Tveit highlighted some of the many gifts received from the Lutheran communion. "You are known for your commitment to peace with justice, to mission, diakonia and to ecumenical dialogue and inter-religious cooperation. Let it be so also in the future", he said.
The theme of the Assembly "touches the heart of the gospel and therefore also the heart of our being one in Christ", Tveit said. "When we pray for daily bread", he added, "we acknowledge the body of Christ, the bread of life, given for our salvation, and we experience the hunger of justice that calls us into communion for actions of sharing".
The WCC general secretary acknowledged that "there are several reasons given for why churches are not fully sharing the one bread in the eucharist". However, Tveit added, "in the light of your theme and the affirmation of the one bread, there are even more important theological and moral reasons why we continue to do anything we can do to come to the same table and have a common sharing of the one bread".
Tveit praised the "wise leadership" of the outgoing LWF general secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko. "You have not only led the LWF but you have been a dear and significant leader in the whole ecumenical movement", Tveit told Noko.
Earlier during the session, in his report to the Assembly, Noko had highlighted the WCC's "unique and irreplaceable role in bringing Christians together". He emphasized the "inclusive and participatory" character of the upcoming WCC Assembly to take place in Korea in 2013.
"The LWF will play its full role both in the planning process and in the [WCC] Assembly itself", Noko said. He encouraged the LWF delegates to consider "what additional steps we as a communion might take in this regard, such as holding an LWF Council meeting in conjunction with the WCC Central Committee or within the 'expanded space' of the WCC Assembly".
"I look forward to your participation in the preparations of our next Assembly in 2013", Tveit said in his greeting to the Lutheran gathering, responding to Noko's report.
Full text of the WCC general secretary greetings
Website of the 11th Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation