WCC NEWS: WCC visits Church of Norway to explore “values that unite a suffering world”

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca visited the Church of Norway on 23 November, expressing joy at being able to see the church offices for the first time and for the church’s support leading up to the WCC 11th Assembly. Photo: WCC 30 November 2021 Sauca met with Church of Norway leaders including presiding bishop Most Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit; Rev. Elise Sandnes, general secretary of the Bishop’s Council; and Berit Hagen-Agöy, director of International Affairs. “I am grateful for the hospitality and inspiration we have so warmly received from the Church of Norway leadership and staff,” said Sauca. “As we prepare for the WCC assembly, we are already witnessing the theme ‘Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.’” Sauca said the WCC’s sense of hope has been buoyed by the special support from the Church of Norway and other WCC member churches during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I deeply appreciate the dedication and accompaniment of the Church of Norway and the solidarity expressed as we walk through the world’s challenges together,” he said. Tveit said that he and other leaders from the Church of Norway were happy to inform the visitors from the WCC that the Church of Norway General Synod affirmed in a decision on 12 November its commitment to the global ecumenical movement and its involvement and financial support to the WCC. “I am impressed by how the WCC leadership and staff have been able to address the multiple challenges to their work and the need for a shift  of methodologies in the time of the pandemic,” said Tveit. “The world and the churches are, even more than before, in need of global solidarity and mutual accountability to one another, and the values that can unite a suffering and divided world.” The theme of the WCC 11th Assembly has become a prophetic message of our time, added Tveit. “The world needs the steadfast love of Christ,” he said. “The churches need the fellowship of one another to convey this love in word and acts.” Discussions centered around the role of the churches and the WCC in the midst of the pandemic, the work of the WCC and future governance—particularly amid the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the climate emergency—and assembly preparations, with special reflections on the assembly theme. Sauca, accompanied by WCC director of Communication Marianne Ejdersten, gave an update on preparations for the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2022. Ejdersten led a special session with the Church of Norway communications team and the need for support of assembly communication. The Church of Norway has agreed to support the communications team in Karlsruhe. WCC executive committee lights the way for WCC 11th Assembly (WCC press release of 26 November 2021) Learn more about the WCC Assembly See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland