The meetings of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches has begun its work

THE MEETINGS OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES HAS BEGUN ITS WORK

The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches has begun its regular meeting on January 9 in Potsdam, Germany. The Russian Orthodox Church is represented by Hegumen Hilarion Alfeyev, Department for External Church Relations secretary for inter-Christian relations, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, DECR secretary for church-society relations, Rev. Mikhail Gundyaev, secretary of the Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church at the WCC, and A. Yeliseev of the DECR secretariat for international relations.

On January 30, the participants worked in a special session devoted to the world economy, which dealt, among other things, with the results of the Special Session of the UN General Assembly devoted to social development. The Central Committee members discussed the growing global gap between rich and poor and the need for bearing Christian witness in face of the world financial and trade system. The need to influence the globalizing economy from the position of moral values was emphasized. The question was raised about the writing-off of foreign debts for the poorest countries, to which the WCC has repeatedly called.

On the same day, the meeting was addressed by the German President Johannes Rau.

The Central Committee will work till February 6.