Eva Brunne takes up a leadership position in the World Council of Churches

The bishop of Stockholm diocese, Eva Brunne, and Celina Falk from Uppsala were elected today to the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), on which Eva Brunne will be taking over after Archbishop Anders Wejryd.

The Central Committee is elected by the highest decision-making body of the WCC, the Assembly, which is currently meeting in Busan, South Korea. Over 3,000 representatives of Christian churches from all continents have gathered together there.

“Those of us elected to the Central Committee must create a forum where we can feel secure enough to engage in dialogue on crucial and sometimes problematic issues. It’s exciting and challenging to do this together with women and men from such different traditions. We think differently and have different opinions. Unity doesn’t necessarily mean agreement,” says Eva Brunne, who over the past week has taken part in committee work, ecumenical discussions and Bible studies during the Assembly.

Celina Falk, member of the General Synod and deputy on the Central Board of the Church of Sweden, was elected as a youth delegate and is happy to take on the task.

“The participation of young people in decision-making bodies is a key issue for me. We represent both the present and the future of the Church and need to be included so that we can provide our perspectives and learn from others,” she says.

Document on Christian unity
The Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) is currently under way in Busan, South Korea. This meeting on the theme of justice and peace has brought together over 3,000 participants. From Sweden, around 50 people from various faith communities are taking apart, including about 30 from the Church of Sweden.

The Assembly will be determining the church fellowship’s future strategies and adopting a unity statement. The document describes how Christian unity between member churches can be expressed today.

The WCC represents 345 member churches from 110 countries, in which there are around 500 million Christians in various families of churches. The Central Committee meets each year, while the Assembly meets every seven years.

http://www.oikoumene.org/en[W1] .