ecumenism " "
The world ecumenical conference ended in Athens on 15 May. Since 9 May it had brought together some 600 delegates officially designated by the various Christian Churches to discuss the evangelism and mission of the Church in the world. The final ceremony took place at the areopagus of Athens where, as the Acts of the Apostles recount, Paul spoke of the resurrection of Jesus to the Athenians, citing the Greek poets and philosophers themselves as witness of God’s presence. In his concluding sermon, Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which had promoted the Conference, recalled that for many Christians Sunday 16 May was Pentecost. “The gift of understanding he said did not diminish the diversity of that great crowd at Pentecost; people did not cease to be what they were. No, they did not become less than what they were, but more than what they had been”. “It is this we too have experienced at this Conference on mission”. For a week, the delegates of the Churches debated issues of evangelism, pluralism and the role of the Churches in situations of conflict and violence. Although the Catholic Church is not a member of the WCC, it participated in the event with a 25-member delegation, headed by the secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, Msgr. Brian Farrell. This participation said Farrell is a sign that the WCC “is trying to involve as large a number of Churches as possible in its own projects”. “This Conference he added offers hope that there can be convergence on the major questions of mission. In a world like ours in rapid transformation, Christians are obliged to find a common response and not a hundred different responses vying between each other”.
