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The statement was adopted with 15 opposing votes and 17 abstentions. During the discussion by assembly delegates, several comments and concerns were voiced: the statement did not draw sufficient attention to the Jewish roots of the Christian faith and to concern for the security of the state of Israel; this issue is of great concern to churches around the world and of particular concern to churches in the Middle East; rather than calling for Jerusalem to be "a shared city", the sovereignty of Jerusalem should be protected for Israelis and Palestinians; Palestinians should be given the right of repatriation.

The WCC Executive Committee agreed in February 1995 that the process of study and consultation on the "common understanding and vision of the World Council of Churches" should aim at preparing a document for the Eighth Assembly, on the occasion of the WCC's 50th anniversary, which might serve as an "ecumenical charter" for the 21st century. In September 1995, the Central Committee approved a procedure for preparing such a text. An initial draft came from a consultation in December 1995 which brought together some 35 persons from all regions and church traditions. This was shared with a variety of groups and individuals, then revised in June 1996 and sent to the Central Committee for discussion in September 1996.

WCC Central Committee
Geneva, Switzerland, 14-22 September 1995
STATEMENT ON THE STATUS OF JERUSALEM

The Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches, meeting in Sigtuna, Sweden, 14-20 September 1993, warmly welcomes the exchange of letters of mutual recognition between the leaders of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the subsequent signing in Washington, D.C. of an agreement to establish a transitional Palestinian Interim Self-Government Authority in the occupied territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

This text developed by Faith and Order is another of the "unity statements" adopted by WCC Assemblies over the years. It is one attempt to indicate the elements of "full communion" among churches.

The Dialogue sub-unit of the WCC undertook a four-year study programme on 'My Neighbour's Faith and Mine - Theological Discoveries through Interfaith Dialogue'. As the apex of this study, delegates from the Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions were brought together to reflect on some of these issues. A week of intense discussions centred on questions such as the significance of religious plurality, christology, and the issues in understanding the activity of the Spirit in the world. The document which follows is a statement made by the members of this consultation, which was held in Baar, near Zurich, Switzerland in January 1990. It is hoped that the statement will help to animate and facilitate the discussion of these important issues as we face the Seventh Assembly in Canberra in February 1991.