Karlsruhe (dpa/lsw) - Christians from all over the world have high hopes for the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which began on Wednesday in Karlsruhe. "Karlsruhe will be a new beginning," said WCC general secretary Ioan Sauca. The Christian community must come together again and position itself on important social issues. Sauca cited climate justice, racism and famine as examples. "People are dying," he stressed. Bishop Petra Bosse-Huber of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) said: "Perhaps there has never been a time when we have needed the full assembly of the World Council of Churches like this."
More than 4,000 Christians from various denominations will meet in Karlsruhe until September 8th. The WCC sees itself as a fellowship of around 350 churches representing more than 580 million people worldwide. The Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the WCC. It is taking place in Germany for the first time.
