The Council of the Lutheran World Federation was held at Chavannes-de-Bogis, near Geneva, from 1-7 September, with the participation of some 100 church representatives and 70 guests. The Council is the institution that governs the Federation, which in turn comprises some 66 million Lutherans throughout the world. Many issues were discussed during the meeting: from globalization to the challenge of Hiv/Aids. In his opening speech, the president of the LWF, Bishop Mark S. Hanson, also spoke of peace and the commitment that the Churches must make to promote justice in the world and combat every form of fundamentalism. With regard to the ecumenical process, Hanson recalled the words of the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer for whom “the unity of the Church as the body of Christ is not an objective to be achieved but a fact to be recognized. The task of the Church is not therefore to build unity but to act as a body already united in fact”. The representatives of the Lutheran Church also dedicated a moving ceremony to commemorating the child victims of Beslan. “Although peace seems an ever more distant reality said the Rev. Lusmarina Campos Garcia during the eucharistic service we must never cease seeking it”.
