Tributes and condolence messages
Tributes and condolence messages from the general secretary of the World Council of Churches
| Title | Description | EffectiveDate |
|---|---|---|
| Tribute to the Reverend Protopresbyter Boris Bobrinskoy | The World Council of Churches (WCC) mourns the loss of Protopresbyter Boris Bobrinskoy, one of the best-known Orthodox theologians in France, and pays tribute to a highly appreciated ecumenical companion who deepened in his writings “the silence of the Father, whose mercy is the eternal source of authentic love and true unity." | 12 August 2020 |
| Slideshow from Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit's time as WCC general secretary | 10 May 2020 | |
| Tribute by Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith | 25 May 2019 | |
| Tribute to Rev. Dr Rena Joyce Karefa-Smart | Rev. Dr Angelique Walker-Smith, a member of the WCC Central Committee and of the WCC Commission on Ecumenical Education and Formation, pays tribute to a pioneering Pan African woman leader in the ecumenical movement. | 17 January 2019 |
| Tribute to Marie Bassili Assaad | Marie Bassili Assaad, an ecumenical leader who was WCC deputy general secretary1980-86, passed away on 30 August 2018. | 12 September 2018 |
| Bishop John Victor Samuel | Letter from WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit to the family of Bishop John Victor Samuel, one of the pioneers of the Church of Pakistan, paying tribute to his commitment for peace, unity and harmony, and his tireless work for interfaith relations, as well as for the unity of Christians in Pakistan and beyond. | 03 September 2018 |
| A Tribute to Chō Takeda Kiyoko, former WCC president for the Asia-Pacific | Chō Takeda Kiyoko passed away on 12 April 2018 at the age of 100. She was known to describe her own accomplishments with the modest phrase “lifelong homework.” | 27 April 2018 |
| A Tribute: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela | By Prof. Rev. Dr Mary-Anne Plaatjies van Huffel, WCC president from Africa | 05 April 2018 |
| Obituary - Prof. Dr. Günther Gassmann | A tribute of the WCC to the outstanding theologian and ecumenist who shaped the work of the Commission on Faith and Order for 11 years. | 23 January 2017 |
| Condolences on the death of Juan Abelardo Schvindt | WCC general secretary addresses the Evangelical Church of the River Plate (IERP) offering condolences on the death of Rev. Juan Abelardo Schvindt. | 24 August 2016 |
| Condolencias por Federico Pagura | Letter from WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, to the Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina on the passing of Bishop Emeritus Federico Pagura (in Spanish). | 09 June 2016 |
| Condolences on the death of Federico Pagura | English version of the condolence letter sent by WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, to the Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina. | 09 June 2016 |
| Condolence letter from the WCC general secretary to Chuck Harper's family | Letter of condolences from the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit to the family of Charles R. (“Chuck”) Harper, director of the Latin American human rights resource office at the World Council of Churches (WCC) from 1973 to 1992. | 27 May 2016 |
| Condolence message from the WCC general secretary on the passing away of His Eminence the Rt. Rev. Dr Zacharias Mar Theophilus, Suffragan Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church | Condolence Message from the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit to the Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church | 28 December 2015 |
| Bishop Aldo Etchegoyen | Letter of condolences on the passing of Bishop Aldo Etchegoyen from the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit to the Evangelical Methodist Church of Argentina (IEMA). | 05 November 2015 |
| Condolence on the death of Bishop Taranath Sugar | Condolence from the General Secretary of the WCC on the death of Bishop Taranath Sugnanam Sagar, the Senior Bishop of the Methodist Church in India | 22 October 2015 |
| Tony Waworuntu | Message from the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit on death of Tony Waworuntu, WCC Central Committee member. | 26 August 2015 |
| Condolences Angel Peiro | Tribute to Rev. Angel Peiró, Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Commission on Inter-Church Aid, Refugee and World Service (CICARWS) at the WCC between 1980 and 85, by Georges Lemopoulos, WCC acting general secretary. | 14 July 2015 |
| Greetings on 600th death anniversary of Jan Hus | Greetings from the WCC on the 600th anniversary of the death of Jan Hus, presented in Prague at the anniversary observances by Archbishop Emeritus Anders Wejryd, the WCC President for Europe. | 06 July 2015 |
| Letter of condolence on death of Bishop George Ninan | Letter of condolence for Bishop George Ninan by WCC acting general secretary Georges Lemopoulos. | 26 June 2015 |
| Tribute to Bishop Dr A. George Ninan | Tribute to Bishop Dr A. George Ninan of the Church of North India. | 25 June 2015 |
| WCC mourns the loss of Anglican ecumenist Kodwo E. Ankrah | In a letter of consolation to the family and friends of Canon Kodwo E. Ankrah of the Church of the Province of Uganda, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Tveit has expressed sympathy following the death on 29 May of “this great Pan-Africanist and ecumenist.” | 08 June 2015 |
| Tribute to Rev. Dr Philip A. Potter, by Evelyn Appiah | We give thanks for your life and work which spanned over 9 decades. Your journey which started on the Caribbean island of Dominica, took you to different continents. | 19 May 2015 |
| Memorial obituary of Philip Potter, by the Very Rev. Georges Tsetsis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople | It is difficult, if not impossible, to express in just a few words what Philip Potter of blessed memory meant to the Ecumenical movement, to the WCC and to me personally. | 19 May 2015 |
| Tribute to Philip Potter by Baldwin Sjollema | Dear Bärbel, dear friends, Philip was a man of the Bible and he reminded his colleagues often of some of the key words to be found there. One of those was “righteousness”, which means to be straight, firm, steel-like… | 19 May 2015 |
| Biblical reflection at the memorial service for the late general secretary of the WCC, Philip Potter | A pilgrimage of justice and peace. Our theme for the World Council of Churches in this period could very well have been formulated by Philip Potter. He was a pilgrim of justice and peace. He is a pilgrim - now at home with God in another way than before. | 18 May 2015 |
| Memorial tribute to Rev. Dr Philip Potter, Ecumenical Centre chapel, 18 May 2015 | I first met Dr Philip Potter in 1972 when, as the new class of Frontier Internship in Mission, we paid him a courtesy call in his office at the Ecumenical Centre. | 18 May 2015 |
| Tribute to Somen Das, James Massey and Ninan Koshy | Tribute to Somen Das, James Massey and Ninan Koshy | 08 May 2015 |
| Tribute to Rev. Dr Philip Potter | Tribute to Rev. Dr Philip Potter by Dr Agnes Abuom, moderator of the WCC Central Committee. | 16 April 2015 |
| Philip Potter | Philip Potter, 1921-2015, a tribute by the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary. | 01 April 2015 |
| Patriarch Khanania Dinkha | Letter from Georges Lemopoulos, WCC deputy general secretary, to Mar Aprim Mooken on death of Patriarch Mar Khanania Dinkha IV, head of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East. | 27 March 2015 |
| Ninan Koshy | WCC tribute to Dr Ninan Koshy, former executive secretary and director of the WCC’s Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit. | 06 March 2015 |
| Leopoldo J. Niilus | A tribute to Leopoldo J. Niilus (1930 – 2015), WCC former director for Commission of the Churches on International Affairs by the WCC acting general secretary Rev. Dr Hielke Wolters. | 10 February 2015 |
| Richard von Weizsäcker | Condolence letter by the WCC general secretary to the widow of Richard von Weizsäcker, former German President (1984-94) and WCC Central Committee member (1968-75), in German. | 02 February 2015 |
| Edna Palmer | A tribute to Edna Palmer, a Presbyterian ecumenist from the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit. She died on 8 November 2014. | 18 November 2014 |
| David Goodbourn | Tribute to Dr David Goodbourn from the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit. Goodbourn died on 9 November 2014. | 14 November 2014 |
| Condolence letter on death of David Philpot | Condolence letter from the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit on death of Rev. David Philpot, WCC executive secretary for scholarships in 1980s, addressed to his daughter Anne Wanjie. | 12 November 2014 |
| Condolence on death of Samuel Isaac | Condolence letter from the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit to Mrs Prema Isaac, Mr Paul Isaac and Mr Andrew Isaac, on the death of Samuel Isaac, deputy director of the WCC’s former Commission on Inter-Church Aid and Refugee Service. | 21 August 2014 |
| Martin Blöcher | Condolence letter to Rev. Christoph Anders, Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany | 05 August 2014 |
| Condolences on death of Bishop Vinton Anderson | WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit's letter of condolence on death of Bishop Vinton Anderson to the African Methodist Episcopal Church. | 14 July 2014 |
| Dr Kang Moon-Kyu | Condolence letter to the widow of Dr Kang Moon-Kyu, an outstanding ecumenical leader and a former president of the World Council of Churches | 18 December 2013 |
| In rememberance of Nelson Mandela | Address by the moderator of the WCC Central Committee, Dr Agnes Aboum, at the memorial ceremony for Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) held in the chapel of the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, on 16 December 2013. | 16 December 2013 |
| Remembering Nelson Mandela – a gift to the one humanity | A tribute by Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary | 06 December 2013 |
| Condolences on the passing of Bishop Thomas Hoyt | Condolences on the passing of Bishop Thomas Hoyt | 30 October 2013 |
| Emilio Castro | The WCC gives thanks to God for the life of Emilio Castro, who served for nearly twenty years as a leading member of the WCC staff, and from 1985 to 1992 as our fourth general secretary. Dr Castro passed away in Montevideo, Uruguay on the evening of Saturday 6 April 2013 at the age of 85. | 08 April 2013 |
| Dr Oh Jae Shik | Condolence message on passing away of Dr Oh Jae Shik | 18 January 2013 |
| Mathai Zachariah | Condolence message on the passing away of Dr Mathai Zachariah | 18 December 2012 |
| Bishop K.H Ting | Tribute to Bishop K.H Ting, passed away on 22 November 2012. | 23 November 2012 |
| Senator George S. McGovern | Tribute by WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit | 22 October 2012 |
| Patriarch Torkom Manoogian | Condolence message on the death of Patriarch Torkom Manoogian | 16 October 2012 |
| Maria Chavez Quispe | Tribute to Maria Phaxsi Chavez Quispe, 1975-2012, renowned biblical scholar and consultant for the WCC Indigenous Peoples programme | 26 July 2012 |
| José Míguez Bonino | Tribute expressing admiration for the life and work of the renowned liberation theologian | 04 July 2012 |
| Tribute to H.H. Pope Shenouda III | Condolence letter to the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church | 18 March 2012 |
| Metropolitan Damaskinos of Andrianople | Tribute by WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit | 09 November 2011 |
| Wangari Maathai | This tribute by the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit to the late Professor Dr Wangari Muta Maathai of Kenya was presented at a memorial service in the Ecumenical Centre chapel in Geneva. Maathai, who died on 25 September 2011, had participated in a number of conferences and committees of the WCC related to ecological justice and peace. | 07 October 2011 |
| Rev. Somasiri K. Perera | Condolence letter to the National Council of Churches in Sri Lanka upon the death of the Rev. Somasiri K. Perera. He was a former president of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka and former chairperson of the National Christian Council. In addition, he also served as a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches. | 02 September 2011 |
| Philip Potter's 90th birthday | Tribute to Philip A. Potter, WCC general secretary from 1972-84, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, on 19 August 2011. | 13 July 2011 |
| Prof. Anton Houtepen | A tribute to the memory of Anton Houtepen by WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit | 17 December 2010 |
| Dr Shiela Mong Chowdhury | Tribute by WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit | 02 November 2010 |
| Paul Löffler | Tribute Letter for Paul Löffler, German missiologist and ecumenical pioneer. | 06 October 2010 |
| Obituary for Dom Emmanuel Lanne | Tribute to the life and work of Dom Emmanuel Lanne on the occasion of his death. Father Lanne belonged to the first group of Roman Catholic theologians that became in especially close ways associated with the WCC as members of the Commission on Faith and Order. | 25 June 2010 |
| Dr David Stevens | Condolence message to the Corrymeela Community | 27 May 2010 |
| Sheena Duncan | Condolence message by WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit | 06 May 2010 |
| Dr Kunchala Rajaratnam | Condolence letter to the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India | 09 April 2010 |
| Sheikh Mohammed Sayyid Tantawi | In this condolence letter to the al-Azhar University, WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit expresses great respect and appreciation for Sheikh Tantawi's remarkable contribution to Islamic scholarship, for his prominent role and genuine commitment to intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. | 12 March 2010 |
| Archbishop Jabez Bryce, Polynesia | Condolence letter to the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia at the passing of Archbishop Jabez Bryce, Bishop of the Diocese of Polynesia. | 15 February 2010 |
| Charles Birch | Tribute to Prof. Charles Birch (1918 - 2009) | 22 December 2009 |
| Patriarch Pavle of Serbia | Condolence message by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 16 November 2009 |
| Kim Dae-jung | Letter of condolences from the WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia to Dr Whi Ho Lee, widow of Mr Kim Dae-jung, former president of South Korea. | 18 August 2009 |
| Patriarch Alexy II | Meeting in Geneva for a regular encounter, the WCC officers received the sad news of the passing away of Patriarch Alexy II, and wrote to the Russian Orthodox Church to express their condolences. | 05 December 2008 |
| Prof. Dr Todor Sabev | Tribute by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 15 September 2008 |
| Clement John | Tribute to a respected WCC colleague and an outstanding advocate in the international struggle for human rights. | 03 June 2008 |
| Father Vitaly Borovoy | Condolence letter to His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia | 10 April 2008 |
| Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare movement | Tribute by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 14 March 2008 |
| Rev. Dr Lukas Vischer | Tribute by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 12 March 2008 |
| His Beatitude Christodoulos | Tribute by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 28 January 2008 |
| Claire Randall | Tribute to Claire Randall, former general secretary of the NCCCUSA. Condolence etter sent to the NCCCUSA acting general secretary. | 20 September 2007 |
| Rev. Kim Dong Wan | Tribute to the former general secretary of the NCC Korea | 17 September 2007 |
| His Beatitude Teoctist | Tribute by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 31 July 2007 |
| Rev. Dr Letty Russell | Writing to Dr Shannon Clarkson, the partner of Rev. Dr Letty Russell, who died on 12 July 2007, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia expresses the Council's sadness over the loss of "one of the most renowned woman theologians in the world," who "has left her mark on the World Council of Churches." | 18 July 2007 |
| Pasteur Lazare Kinda | In a letter to the Association of Evangelical Reformed Churches of Burkina Faso, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia expresses "deep sadness" at the loss of Lazare Kinda, who died on 25 June 2007, and pays tribute to the pastor's "true passion for the proclamation of the gospel and his great love for the people of Burkina Faso." | 16 July 2007 |
| Bishop Pierre Duprey | From a condolence letter by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia to Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (in French). | 14 May 2007 |
| C. F. von Weizsäcker | Tribute to Prof. Dr Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, who gave decisive impetus to the Conciliar Process for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation. | 07 May 2007 |
| Robert Billheimer | Condolence message by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 18 January 2007 |
| Wolfram Kistner | Condolence letter to the family of Wolfram Kistner, a tireless champion for justice, equality and human dignity for all. | 05 December 2006 |
| Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Ephesus | Condolence message by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 16 October 2006 |
| Masao Takenaka | Tribute by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 22 August 2006 |
| Tribute to Rev. Dr Kang Won Yong | Condolence message by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 18 August 2006 |
| Philip Potter, 85th birthday | 18 August 2006 | |
| Grand rabbin Alexandre Safran | Condolence letter to the Jewish community of Geneva by the WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia (in French). | 28 July 2006 |
| Coretta Scott King | Tribute by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 01 February 2006 |
| Baselios Marthoma Mathews II | Letter of condolence from WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia to the Catholicos of the East and Metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on the death of H.H. Baselios Marthoma Mathews II, the church's former catholicos | 31 January 2006 |
| Former German president Johannes Rau | Extracts from a condolence letter to WCC member churches in Germany. | 27 January 2006 |
| Message of condolences on the death of Dr Johannes Rau | To WCC member churches in Germany | 27 January 2006 |
| Letter of condolence to Theresa C. Cariño | Letter of condolence to Theresa C. Cariño, Amity Foundation in Hong Kong, on the passing away of her husband Dr Feliciano Cariño. | 22 November 2005 |
| Brother Roger | Tribute to Taizé's founder, Brother Roger Louis Schutz-Marsauche | 17 August 2005 |
| South Sudan leader, Dr John Garang | Condolence message by WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia | 03 August 2005 |
| Pope John Paul II | 03 April 2005 | |
| Rev. Humberto Ramos, Verena Welz, Rev. Juan Cevallos and Rev. Ramon Conde | Condolence letter to the Iglesia Luterana en Bolivia (IELB) following the deaths of IELB president Rev. Humberto Ramos, Verena Welz, Rev. Juan Cevallos and Rev. Ramón Conde. | 11 October 2004 |
| Patriarche Petros d'Alexandrie | Text only exists in French. | 13 September 2004 |
