Lutheran World Information The Lutheran World Federation LWI – A Communion of Churches Tribute to Former LWF 150, route de Ferney P.O. Box 2100 Vice-President Prasanna Kumari CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland A former vice-president of the Lutheran Telephone +41/22-791 61 11 World Federation (LWF), the Rev. Dr Prasan- Fax +41/22-791 66 30 na Kumari died on 16 March at the Apollo E-mail: [email protected] Hospital in Chennai, India, following a mas- www.lutheranworld.org sive cardiac arrest. She was 56 years old. Editor-in-Chief Kumari, LWF vice-president for the Karin Achtelstetter Asia region, 1997–2003, was at the time of [email protected] her death vice-president of the National Council of Churches in India, and head of English Editor the department for women studies at the Pauline Mumia [email protected] Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute in Chennai, India. German Editor Prior to her election as LWF vice- Dirk-Michael Grötzsch president, Kumari had served on the LWF [email protected] Council as chairperson of the Program Committee for Theology and Studies, Layout Stéphane Gallay 1990–1997. She was a member of the theol- Rev. Dr Prasanna Kumari at the 2003 LWF Tenth [email protected] ogy and studies’ committee from 1997 until Assembly, Winnipeg, Canada. 2000, when she was appointed chairperson © LWF/D. Zimmermann Circulation/Subscription of the then newly created LWF Standing Janet Bond-Nash Committee for World Service. She served as regional coordinator of the LWF [email protected] Committee on Women in Church and Society (WICAS), 1984–1989 and was a The Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the member of the Lutheran-Orthodox Dialogue, 1986–1992. information service of the Lutheran World (See page 6) Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or opinions of Highlights the LWF or of its various units. Where the Anders Wejryd Elected Archbishop Indian Theologian Martin to dateline of an article contains the notation of Uppsala ............................................4 Assume Position of LWF Deputy (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced The Church of Sweden elected Bishop General Secretary .............................8 with acknowledgement. Anders H. Wejryd as Archbishop of Effective early June 2006, Indian theologian Uppsala, 30 March. He effectively becomes and communicator, Rev. Chandran Paul Martin the head of the Swedish Lutheran church. will assume the position of Deputy General Wejryd has been a member of the Lutheran Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation World Federation (LWF) Council since (LWF). The LWF Executive Committee appointed 2003, and is chairperson of the LWF Martin at its 9–11 March meeting in Geneva. Project Committee. NGO Representatives Urge Christianity’s Future Can Only Salvadoran Government to Be Ecumenical, Says Head of LWF Guarantee Equal Rights for All .... 11 Assembly Host Church .....................7 Nicaraguan Flor de Maria Mendoza has The head of the host church for the 11th worked as a salesperson in a small-scale Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation business in Santa Rosa de Lima, El Salvador, (LWF) in 2010 anticipates a major outcome for ten years. She is a migrant worker, who of the LWF event in Stuttgart, Germany, to has herself on several occasions been a be emphasis on the ecumenical nature of witness to and victim of open discrimination Christianity in the future. against migrant populations in El Salvador. 200603 Contents Communio 3 ....... Tribute to Former LWF Vice-President Prasanna Kumari 4 ........ Anders Wejryd Elected Archbishop of Uppsala 4 ........ Swedish Lutheran Church Official Sees Hope for Restored Relations with Russian Orthodox 6 ....... New Dynamics of Church Reform Debate in Central Germany 7 ....... Christianity’s Future Can Only Be Ecumenical, Says Head of LWF Assembly Host Church LWF Secretariat 8 ....... Indian Theologian Martin to Take Up Position of LWF Deputy General Secretary 9 ....... Eberhard Hitzler to Head LWF Department for World Service Features & Themes LWF’s Participation in 68th UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 10 ...... Guatemala’s Indigenous Group Presents ‘Shadow Report’ to UN Committee 11 ...... NGO Representatives Urge Salvadoran Government to Guarantee Equal Rights for All News in Brief 2 ....... LWF Internet Forum on Theology in the Church 2 ....... New Christian Council of Norway to Include All Major Churches 8 ....... LWF Asia Regional Office Relocates to Singapore 9 ....... Hans-Jörg Voigt Elected SELK Bishop 9 ....... Rudelmar Bueno de Faria Is New DWS Program Coordinator 12 ...... Theologian Sørensen Heads Danish Church Council on International Relations LWF Internet Forum on Theology in the Church The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for A basic premise is that theology can and does make a dif- Theology and Studies (DTS) has launched a new Inter- ference in the life of the church worldwide. Through this net-based discussion forum for its “Theology in the Life forum, DTS aims to bring together theologians from the of the Church” global initiative. Started on 4 April, www. different parts of the world to share mutually from their luthersem.edu/lwfdiscuss provides initial papers and a diverse backgrounds, contexts and approaches, insights on discussion forum, where one can sign up at no cost, read theological writing that can contribute in significant ways to what has been posted or participate in the forthcoming deepening the self-understanding of the life and practices discussions. of churches globally. The Web-based interaction will allow The current focus is Confessing and living out faith in the its users to exchange information and ideas, support and triune God in the face of mutually challenge one another on the focus subjects. For further information, please contact: Rev. Dr Karen • death and injustice (track 1) Bloomquist, Director, LWF Department for Theology and • multi-faith challenges (track 2) Studies, 150 Route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva Lutheran World Information World Lutheran • charismatic and Pentecostal challenges (track 3) 2, Switzerland, Tel. +41/22-791 6111, Fax +41/22-791 6630, • moral differences that threaten church unity (track 4). E-mail [email protected] (240 words) New Christian Council of Norway to Include All Major Churches Two church groupings in Norway have agreed to form a nations except the Pentecostal movement. The Council of Free national body that will include all the major churches in the Churches was founded in 1903 as an instrument for the free country. The new body will be formally inaugurated on 1 churches to promote their religious rights in a country where September 2006. It will include the major Christian denomina- the (Lutheran) Church of Norway was a state church. The tions—Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Orthodox, Pentecostal willingness of representatives of the Pentecostal movement and Roman Catholic. The impending merger was agreed at to work together with the Catholic Church is seen as a key separate meetings of the Christian Council of Norway (CCN) element in the founding of the impending new church body. and the Norwegian Free Church Council on 30 March. The two church groupings that are merging have shared Established in 1992 as a national council of churches with a offices at Oslo’s Church House since 2000. (186 words) broad ecumenical agenda, the CCN groups all major denomi- (Ecumenical News International) 2 No. 03/2006 Tribute to Former LWF Vice-President Information World Lutheran Prasanna Kumari “A Strong Advocate for Equality Among Women and Men” GENEVA, 16 March 2006 (LWI) The general secretary cit- – A former vice-president of ed Kumari’s conviction that the Lutheran World Federation “working for and with the poor” (LWF), the Rev. Dr Prasanna was one of the effective ways Kumari died on 16 March at the to witness for Christ in India. Apollo Hospital in Chennai, In- This was evident through her dia, following a massive cardiac active participation in several arrest. She was 56 years old. projects aimed at assisting Kumari, LWF vice-presi- women living in slum areas to dent for the Asia region, 1997– claim their rights to livelihood 2003, was at the time of her and progress. death vice-president of the The former LWF vice-presi- National Council of Churches dent served as executive secre- in India, and head of the de- tary of the United Evangelical Lu- partment for women studies theran Church in India (UELCI) at the Gurukul Lutheran Theo- for two three-year terms since logical College and Research 1992, and as the organization’s Institute in Chennai, India. women’s secretary, 1982–1992. Prior to her election as Among other responsibilities in LWF vice-president, Kumari the region, she was chairperson had served on the LWF Coun- of the Advisory Committee for cil as chairperson of the Pro- Theological Education in Asia gram Committee for Theology Rev. Dr Prasanna Kumari at the 2003 LWF Tenth Assembly, (ACTEAS). and Studies, 1990–1997. She Winnipeg, Canada. © LWF/D. Zimmermann Kumari had taught New was a member of the theology Testament and Women’s Stud- and studies’ committee from ies at the Gurukul theological 1997 until 2000, when she was appointed chairperson college since 1985. She received a bachelor of theol- of the then newly created LWF Standing Committee ogy degree from the Hindustan Bible Institute and for World Service. She served as regional coordina- College, in Chennai, India, and a bachelor of divinity tor of the LWF Committee on Women in Church and and master of theology from the United Theological Society (WICAS), 1984–1989 and was a member of the College in Bangalore. She held a doctor of divinity Lutheran-Orthodox Dialogue, 1986–1992. from the Academy of Ecumenical Indian Theology Kumari was a co-editor of From Federation to Com- and Church Administration in Chennai. munion – The History of the Lutheran World Federation, published in 1997, to mark the 50th anniversary of the LWF.