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By Kersten Storch and Tom Best

Following an invitation from the public information team of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Henri Tincq, who has been in charge of religious news at the prestigious French daily "Le Monde" since 1985, interviewed Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser. The interview took place in Geneva, on Wednesday, 29 October 2003, as Raiser approached the end of his term as general secretary of WCC. This interview can be freely reproduced. A high-resolution photograph is also available free of charge (see below).

A memorable Central Committee meeting saw the election of the World Council of Churches' (WCC) first African general secretary, a commitment to explore new ways of configuring the whole ecumenical movement, and an in-depth examination of the place of disabled people in the life of the churches.

Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser re-affirmed the need for a new configuration of the ecumenical movement in his last report to the Central Committee as World Council of Churches' (WCC) general secretary. Â

The core vision of ecumenism remains, but ecumenical structures need to be reassessed in order to reflect changing times.

The World Council of Churches' Commission on Faith and Order is preparing itself "to make its call to visible unity more audible to the churches".

Cf. Press Release, PR-03-20, of 28 May 2003

Demonstrating their solidarity with the country's churches, an ecumenical delegation will be visiting the Ivory Coast from 10 to 12 March in order to explore the possibility of interfaith dialogue to help solve the political and ethnic conflict that is dividing that country.

Questions on the future shape of the ecumenical movement and of the World Council of Churches (WCC) dominated this year's WCC Central Committee meeting in Geneva. The meeting adjourned on Tuesday, 3 September. Â

"In a century of surprises which we have already begun," the churches of Christ will have to move closer to unity to give the 75-year-old Faith and Order movement renewed meaning, a church leader told an anniversary celebration Sunday (25 August).

Bob Scott

The Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the World Council of Churches (WCC) will shortly hold its final plenary meeting. The Commission will meet 27 May - 2 June in Järvenpää, Finland, not far from Helsinki. The results of three years of work will be presented by the Special Commission in a final report to the WCC Central Committee, which meets this year 26 August - 3 September in Geneva, Switzerland.

The first meeting of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC), held in Lausanne on 3 August 1927, had very high hopes. Participants believed that the goal of visible unity of the churches was really attainable.