|PIC1|In his last report to the WCC Central Committee as General Secretary before stepping down, the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia spoke candidly of the challenges facing the ecumenical movement and the WCC in an age of conflict, economic crisis, widespread poverty and even divisions among God’s people.

In a wide-ranging address, Dr Kobia condemned the greed of sin behind the “casino economy” and its collapse, and the bankers’ bonuses that continue to be “far, far beyond anything poor communities can even imagine”.

Addressing the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he expressed his regret at the millions of people killed in the last five years, many of them women and children, and said the country had become the “embodiment of human pain”.

“The brutal violence against women and children is an abomination to the sanctity of life, an open disgrace to God and the human community,” he said.

Dr Kobia went on to criticise the Israeli occupation and “concomitant humiliation” of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, saying that they did not only constitute economic and political crimes, but were also a sin against God.

Turning to problems within the body of Christ, Dr Kobia acknowledged the deep divisions over human sexuality and admitted that the global financial crisis was having a negative knock-on effect on the operations of the WCC.

He warned, however, that such challenges required a common witness to the Christ and commitment to unity that was being jeopardised by deep church divisions.

“True grace is costly. We cannot expect to find it cheaper,” he said. “A relevant witness of the churches in today’s world is no longer possible if churches stay divided and cannot demonstrate to the world that the transformative power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the driving force in making the whole church a sign and foretaste of a united humanity that cares for each other and for this planet.”

He added: “The broken and deeply divided world needs the common witness of churches that show how to reconcile with each other and to overcome divisions.”

Dr Kobia encouraged WCC members to find inspiration in the hope demonstrated by Christians caught up in violence and poverty, sufferers of HIV and Aids, and survivors of the Rwanda genocide.

Quoting US President Barack Obama’s belief in the “audacity of hope”, Dr Kobia continued: “Hope is a powerful force in the lives of people. It can change the attitudes and behaviours of individuals and communities, and it can sustain them in difficult times.”

He urged delegates to have the hope that is rooted in Christ Jesus as they continue to play a role in helping communities to heal and reconcile.

“In these great transitions, we as humanity on plant earth will need both the courage to hope and an unbreakable commitment to transformative justice that is rooted in the love of God, our fellow human beings and the whole creation,” he said.

“The divided churches will become one again if, moved by the Holy Spirit, we embrace the life-giving love of God and live it ourselves for the sake of this world that so desperately needs it.”

The Central Committee will elect a new General Secretary on Thursday to replace Dr Kobia following his decision not to seek another term.