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

MEDIA ADVISORY, April 30 /Standard Newswire/ -- World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has congratulated President-elect Fernando Lugo on his victory in Paraguay's recent presidential election. In a letter dated 29 April, Kobia highlights Lugo's "commitment to the poorest and excluded", in tune with "the rich tradition of a Latin American Christianity which has struggled to follow Jesus amidst a reality marked by inequality and lack of justice".

Acknowledging "difficult" challenges ahead, Kobia assures the president-elect of his prayers for "his administration to bring more justice and reconciliation to the Paraguayan people", as well as the possibility of "building a society that reduces the gap between the rich and the poor and addresses corruption". Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, won the 20 April Paraguay's presidential election, ending six decades of one-party rule.

Full text (in Spanish) of the congratulation letter to the Paraguayan president-elect:
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=5798

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.