The Pontifical Council at meeting of Commission for Ecumenical Education and Formation (WCC) in Bossey

4 Nov 2019

The plenary meeting of the Commission on Ecumenical Education and Formation (CEEF) of the World Council of Churches (WCC) took place in Bossey, Switzerland, from 28 October–1 November 2019. More than 30 members, consultants and experts of the Commission reflected on the challenges facing ecumenical formation and ecumenical higher education in the context of  modern world Christianity. Father Dr Andrzej Choromanski, Official of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Father Dr Lawrence Iwuamadi, Dean of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, represented the Catholic Church at the meeting.

Apart from discussions on teaching ecumenism in the era of digital technologies, the agenda included the contribution of the Commission to the preparations for the 11th Assembly of the WCC, to be held in Karlsruhe, Germany, 2021, the development of the Network of Institutions of Higher Theological Education (NIHETE), an electronic platform to connect teachers of ecumenism from around the world, and the promotion of the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI), a two–week teaching programme for youth which accompanies important WCC events such as missionary conferences or assemblies.

Reverend Dr Professor Ioan Sauca (Romanian Orthodox Church), Deputy Secretary General of the WCC and the Director of the Bossey Institute, as well as Reverend Dr Rudolf von Sinner (Lutheran Church, Brazil), Moderator of the CEEF, both expressed their appreciation for developing cooperation between the Catholic Church and the WCC in the field of ecumenical education and formation.

The Commission on Education and Ecumenical Formation is the WCC’s primary advisory body for the whole area of education, ecumenical formation and faith nurture. CEEF has thirty members from WCC member churches all over the world as well as six consultants from related partners, including the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

 

Photos © Marcelo Schneider