Press info: "Spirituality for Unity" the theme of Chiara Lubich visit to Geneva

World Council of Churches - Geneva Info
Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

For immediate release: 10 October 2002

"Spirituality for Unity" the theme of Chiara Lubich visit to Geneva

Chiara Lubich, the founder and president of the Focolare movement for spiritual and social renewal, will visit Geneva, 25-28 October 2002. Lubich's message of "spirituality for unity" in all areas of life and humanity is of great interest to the organizations hosting her visit: the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Protestant Church of Geneva, and the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey.

In his invitation, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser highlighted Lubich's "vital contribution to the ecumenical movement", and noted that her initiatives in the spiritual and religious, but also in the political, economic and social spheres "demonstrate the potential of common witness and the need for efforts to restore communion. This is evidence," Raiser added, "of the importance of spirituality in today's context, and of its extremely precious and decisive contribution not only to the unity of the churches but to that of humanity as a whole."

The visit programme includes a seminar for students and faculty of the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey on Saturday, 26 October and worship at St Peter's Cathedral in Geneva at 10:00 am on Sunday, 27 October.

A discussion open to WCC staff and members of other ecumenical organizations on the theme of "Spirituality and Communion", as well as exchanges with WCC staff on spirituality and socio-economic and political processes, are scheduled for Monday, 28 October.

The visit coincides with the annual ecumenical gathering in Morges of bishops related to the Focolare movement, convened by Prague archbishop Cardinal Miroslav Vlk. Participants in that gathering will join Lubich during her visit to Geneva.

The Focolare movement has over 140,000 members, with another 2.5 million adherents world-wide. While the majority are members of the Roman Catholic Church, the movement includes people from 350 churches and ecclesial communities, as well as Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists and people with no religious affiliation.

This is the third visit of Chiara Lubich to the WCC. Her previous visits took place in 1967 and 1982.

Schedule of Key Events during Chiara Lubich's visit to Geneva,
25-28 October 2002

Friday, 25 October 2002
Press Conference, 11:00 am, Auditoire de Calvin, Place de la Taconnerie 1, Geneva
The press conference will be held with simultaneous interpretation in French and Italian.
Contact: John Grinling, Press Officer, Protestant Church of Geneva, +41-22-819-8835

Sunday, 27 October 2002
10:00 am, Worship at St Peter's Cathedral, Geneva
Message by Chiara Lubich (in Italian, with French translation).
Contact: John Grinling, Press Officer, Protestant Church of Geneva, +41-22-819-8835

Monday, 28 October 2002 (for WCC staff and members of ecumenical organizations)
08:30-09:00 am: Worship at the Ecumenical Centre (organized by the Focolare movement)
09:15-10:30 am: "A Spirituality of Communion": address by Chiara Lubich followed by discussion.

Additional information: Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland..