DPCU represented at annual Conference of Secretaries of Christian World Communions

Bishop Brian Farrell, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, assisted by Reverend Andrzej Choromanski, staff member responsible for the multilateral relations, represented the Catholic Church at the annual Conference of the Secretaries of Christian World Communions (CS/CWCs), which took place from 31 October to 2 November 2023 at the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Bossey Ecumenical Institute – the theological faculty of the WCC ‒ located near Geneva.

The Conference was chaired by Reverend César García, General Secretary of the Mennonite World Conference, assisted by Reverend Ganoune Diop from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, who served as secretary. The daily sessions opened and closed with a prayer time led by one of the participants following a particular tradition. During the opening session, the new Secretary General of the WCC, Reverend Dr Jerry Pillay, who hosted the meeting, welcomed the participants and introduced them to the current activities and future projects of the WCC.

The three days of discussions were principally dedicated to the presentation of reports from various communions and ecumenical organisations on their current life and activities. Time was also allocated to discuss topics of particular relevance to the churches at this time. Participants expressed their appreciation for the recent Synod on synodality that took place in Rome, underlining the active participation of fraternal delegates from different churches.

Christian World Communions is the term commonly used to describe the globally organized churches or families of churches with common theological and historical roots, confessions, or structures. The Conference of Secretaries (CS), which has met annually since 1957 with few exceptions, is not an organisation with programmatic goals, but a fraternal forum of secretaries from diverse Christian communions, as well as representatives of some global ecumenical organisations, who meet to exchange information, learn from each other and nurture fraternal relationships among their churches. The CS does not adopt resolutions or programmatic guidelines for the churches, nor does it issue official communiqués at its conclusion.

At present, the CS brings together representatives of the 22 following Christian World Communions and multilateral ecumenical organizations from around the world: the Armenian Apostolic Church (on behalf of the Oriental Orthodox Churches), the Anglican Communion, the Baptist World Alliance, the Disciples of Christ, the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church), the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Orthodox Church of Constantinople), the Friends World Committee for Consultation, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Union of Utrecht (Old Catholics), the Lutheran World Federation, the Mennonite World Conference, the Moravian Church, the Moscow Patriarchate, the Pentecostal World Fellowship, the Salvation Army, the World Convention of Churches of Christ, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the World Methodist Council, and ecumenical bodies: the Organisation of African Instituted Churches, Global Christian Forum, the World Council of Churches and the World Evangelical Alliance.

Photo: courtesy of WCC