New pope backs Christian unity

“The commitment of the Catholic Church to the search for Christian unity is irreversible”, Pope Benedict XVI told the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, in Rome when the two met in June. The encounter included a private audience and a press conference. This was the first meeting between the two church leaders since they took up their current positions. Dr Kobia is a former member of the ECLOF International Board.

The Roman Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC but works cooperatively with it in several areas, and is a full member of two of the Council's commissions: Faith and Order, and World Mission and Evangelism.

Caption: Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia is welcomed to the Vatican by Pope Benedict XVI

The main channel for WCC-Roman Catholic Church study and discussion is a consultative body created in 1965. The Joint Working Group celebrated its 40th anniversary in November in Geneva.

At his papal meeting, the WCC general secretary proposed three “areas of capital importance” for further collaboration: understanding of the church, spirituality and ecumenical formation. He also invited the Pope to visit the WCC headquarters “as yet one more concrete step in our long journey towards visible unity”. The Pope assured Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia that his church was “eager to continue cooperation” with the WCC.