January 31, 2010 in Bishop
Bishop joins global Ecumenical Journey
Bishop Claire Burkat will be part of an official Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) delegation of clergy and lay leaders visiting world Christian church leaders and key staff based in London, Istanbul, Rome and Geneva Feb. 3-17.
The delegation of 12 official ELCA representatives, headed by ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson, plans to meet in London with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan D. Williams, leader of the Anglican Communion; in Istanbul, Turkey, with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, world Orthodox leader; and in Rome, with Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the world’s Roman Catholics.
Bishop Burkat says she is honored and humbled to be part of this delegation to meet with the world’s most visible Christian leaders.
“Since its beginning the ELCA has maintained a strong commitment to making visible the unity that is God’s gift to us in Christ. We’ve made great progress as evidenced by our six full communion partners,” Hanson said.
“Rather than our differences becoming the occasion for distancing ourselves from one another, we believe they call for deeper engagement with one another,” Hanson added. “This journey is carried out in that conviction and in our shared commitment to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and to serve God’s mission for the life of the world.”
