WCC welcomes new Vatican Ecumenical chief

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The World Council of Churches (WCC) is welcoming the Vatican's new top ecumenical officer. The WCC represents many of the world's Protestant and Orthodox Christians (the Patriarch of Constantinople was a founding member) and works closely with the Roman Catholic Church, which is not a member:

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has welcomed the appointment of Bishop Kurt Koch as new president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

"We rejoice at the appointment of Bishop Kurt Koch as president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity", said Tveit commenting on the news. "We welcome his appointment and look forward to working with him for the visible unity of the church", he added.

Tveit said that "Bishop Koch is well known for his openness and deep ecumenical commitment. His book 'That all may be one; Ecumenical perspectives' is an excellent summary of the present state of ecumenical dialogue and relations".

Many believe that the "old-style ecumenism" of the WCC and similar organizations is dead or dying. I believe that if the leadership of such organizations recommits itself to the fundamental goal of Christian Unity, rather than social or political action (there are other good organizations for such laudable work), and if it returns to the task of seeking theological consensus (as we saw in such seminal documents as "Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry") then the WCC and similar national organizations can become useful again in Christ's cause "that we all may be one."