Approximately 500 guests of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) have gathered for the week-long 12th General Assembly in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev Samuel Kobia will deliver the keynote address.

Kobia's speech will carry the title "New Trends in the Ecumenical Movement."

In a visit to Bangladesh this past week, Kobia emphasised that the ecumenical movement needs to adopt interfaith dialogue to offset religious intolerance and violence.

Meanwhile, Dr. James Haire, the President of the National Council of Churches in Australia will deliver a speech following the Assembly's theme: "Building Communities of Peace".

Haire, a retired leader from the Uniting Church in Australia, has been known for his candid observations on Australia’s religious decline.

"We live in a time of profound turning away from God in much of our social and national life," Haire had said two years ago when he took up his post as the NCC head.

Another leader, Dr. Christine Loh, will be giving a speech on "Geo-politics in Asia."

Loh is the CEO of Hong Kong-based public policy think-tank, Civic Exchange.

In addition to hearing the keynote speeches, the participants will hold a panel discussion on "Inter-faith Cooperation in Asia."

Panelists will consider Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist perspectives on the conference’s theme of building bridges among faiths.

The 12th General Assembly will run until 6th April, and the assembly will help launch the annual WCC sponsored "Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV)" in Asia that highlights the work that churches and church-related organisations are doing to prevent and overcome violence in its various forms.





Francis Helguero
Ecumenical Press