| WCC Inaugurates Ecumenical Research Centre |
|
|
| Written by WCC | ||||
| Thursday, 30 June 2005 | ||||
 Building understanding among people and religions of the world is one of
the missions of the Council's new ecumenical research centre, said World Council
of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia at the official opening
of the facility on Sunday 26 June.The renewed library and research facility being officially inaugurated this week is part of efforts to expand the Council's academic research capacity in ecumenism and theology - an effort made possible by a donation from the Banque Pictet & Cie. Situated outside Geneva, on the grounds of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, the site complements the main library and archives located at the WCC's headquarters in Geneva. 
Speaking at the
opening, one of the originators of the project, former WCC general secretary
Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, underlined that the modernized and expanded library and
archives are an "extraordinary resource" now accessible to many more
people.For his part, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia recalled that the original purpose of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey was to contribute to the healing of the nations and churches after the second world war. Kobia also proposed strengthening efforts to explore the interconnectedness of faith, economy and ecology. "Through the concerted endeavours of faith and business leaders, it will be possible to build a more just, peaceful, harmonious and sustainable society," he said. 
The creation of the
ecumenical research centre was made possible by a generous donation from the
Pictet & Cie bank, which is celebrating its bicentennial this year. Mr
Claude Demole, one of the bank's eight managing partners, welcomed the
establishment of the centre as a contribution to the "spirit of tolerance and
dialogue" which characterises Geneva and with which his bank is "proud" to be
associated.With this new phase of development, the WCC library and archives now form one of the leading international academic resources on theology and ecumenism. The library, shared between two sites in Geneva and at Bossey, contains over 130,000 books, periodicals, and thousands of unique archival documents, photos and videos covering the history of the ecumenical movement from the 19th century to the present day. Further information on the WCC library: http://library.wcc-coe.org Photos of the new ecumenical research centre are available at: http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/photo-galleries/other/bosseylibrary/newlibrary.html Note to editors: Founded in Geneva in 1805, Pictet & Cie is one of Switzerland's largest private banks and one of Europe's leading independent asset management banks, with deposits and assets under management of more than CHF 237 billion. The Bank's legal structure is a commercial partnership, with eight general partners sharing unlimited liability. Pictet is an asset management specialist focusing mainly on the following areas of expertise: private and institutional asset management, fund administration and management, global custody and Family Office services. Headquartered in Geneva, the Pictet Group employs around 2,000 people and currently has offices in most major financial centres around the world. Further information: www.pictet.com Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto:             
Only registered users can write comments. |
||||
| Last Updated ( Thursday, 30 June 2005 ) | ||||
Be first to comment this article
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
|
|
Login
Latest Commented
Members Online
No Users OnlineNewsletter
Copyright © 2004 - 2008 Habitus Network.
Aarhus - Bucharest.
Contact us
