VATICAN CITY, JUN 11, 2005 (VIS) - On Thursday June 16, Benedict XVI will receive Reverend Samuel Kobia, Methodist pastor and secretary general of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The June 12-16 visit to Rome by the WCC delegation was planned some months ago and is part of ongoing relations with this organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
A communique made public yesterday afternoon recalls that although the Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, she does continue a broad-based collaboration that began immediately after Vatican Council II ended in 1965.
Reverend Kobia, who will be accompanied by his wife and by five other heads of the WCC, attended John Paul II's funeral on April 8. This official visit has a special significance, the communique says, because 2005 marks the 40th anniversary of the Mixed Working Group composed of members appointed by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and representatives from the WCC.
Following the papal audience of June 16, Reverend Kobia will meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano. He is also due to hold meetings with various dicasteries of the Roman Curia in order to discuss certain specific themes such as: the commitment to justice and peace, the challenges of inter-religious dialogue, and initiatives to achieve a joint commitment of Christians in the field of health care.
Also on the agenda are a series of discussions concerning the spiritual commitment of the WCC's theological body, the Faith and Constitution Commission, in preparing and publicizing the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18-25); the Catholic contribution to this commission, and the commitment of the WCC to ecumenical formation, also demonstrated by the presence of a Catholic professor at the WCC University Institute of Bossey, Switzerland.
.../WORLD COUNCIL CHURCHES/KOBIA VIS 20050613 (320)
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