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

MEDIA ADVISORY, June 12 /Standard Newswire/ -- The necessity of peace in the Middle East will be highlighted during a 16 to 21 June visit to Egypt by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia.

During encounters with leaders of WCC member churches as well as other religious and secular figures in Cairo and Alexandria, a WCC delegation led by Kobia will learn about the situation of the churches in Egypt and discuss WCC activities in the Middle East.

Impetus for the talks comes from the Amman Call, a document about how churches must commit to working for peace in the Middle East. The document was signed by over 130 representatives of churches and Christian organizations from six continents in June 2007. The document includes a commitment of the churches to work for peace in the region and to observe three guiding principles: the ethical and theological imperative for a just peace; the ecumenical imperative for unity in action; and the Gospel imperative for costly solidarity.

The visit will be an occasion to promote interreligious dialogue, especially among institutions of religious education. In this spirit, the delegation will meet Muslim leaders and pay a visit to the Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

The promotion of a just peace in the Middle East has been a focus of WCC work during the last several years. The visit to Egypt comes 7 days after a worldwide "week of action" for peace in Israel and Palestine initiated by the WCC. Previous visits had brought the WCC general secretary to Lebanon, Syria and the Gulf region as well as to Israel and Palestine since 2007.

Members of the WCC delegation visiting Egypt:

· Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, WCC general secretary
· Mr Guirguis Saleh, Middle East Council of Churches general secretary
· Ms Sophia Shokry, WCC commission on youth in the ecumenical movement (ECHOS) member
· H.G. Bishop Gregorios of Mesaoria, Church of Cyprus
· Mr Michael Spyrou, Church of Cyprus
· Ms Carla Khijoyan, WCC programme consultant for Ecumenical Solidarity and Regional Relations

WCC member churches in Egypt:
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/regions/middle-east/egypt.html

WCC work with churches in the Middle East:
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3113

WCC programme on Interreligious Dialogue:
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/programmes/interreligiousdialogue.html

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.