GENEVA 10 February 2005 (LWI)

In a congratulatory message on the occasion, LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko commends his predecessor’s service between 1985-1994.  “You took far-reaching initiatives, including the restructuring of the [LWF] and laying the foundations for deeper bonds of communion among the member churches. Your courage and apostolic stubbornness were admired by both your supporters and opponents,” Noko says.

He conveys the Lutheran communion’s gratitude “to God for men and women possessing the courage and sincerity with which you have always addressed contemporary social issues from the perspective of God’s grace freely given in Jesus Christ.”

Noko notes that the 1990 LWF Eighth Assembly in Brazil, the preparation of which Stålsett was responsible, took the important step of renewing the LWF by electing a new Council drawn equally from the South and the North. He commends his predecessor for his courage to call the churches to mutual accountability in mission. The common decisions taken by the churches gathered in Curitiba continue to be a source of inspiration in the search for a common life in the Lutheran communion, Noko stresses.

Stålsett will retire on March 1 from the position of Bishop of Oslo, which he has held since 1998. The diocese has 493,000 members represented in 77 congregations served by 170 pastors. At the beginning of March, the Council of State, comprising the king and government, will appoint a new bishop for the diocese from a list of candidates.

After his tenure in the LWF, Stålsett worked as rector of the Practical Theological Seminary at the University of Oslo. He has been engaged in various peace-building and inter-religious initiatives worldwide. He served twice on the Norwegian Nobel Committee, 1985-1990, and 1994-2003. He is currently an International Co-President of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, and Co-Moderator of its affiliated European Council of Religious Leaders, as well as Chairperson of the Niwano Peace Prize Committee. Last year, he was appointed Co-chairperson of the Leadership Program Committee for the 16th International AIDS Conference to be held in Toronto, Canada in August 2006.

Stålsett studied theology in Norway, the USA and Germany. He was ordained a Church of Norway pastor in 1962. From 1964 to 1970 he was a lecturer in systematic theology at the Stavanger School of Mission and Theology. He served as General Secretary of the Church of Norway Council on Foreign Relations, 1970-77.

His political responsibilities included State Secretary in the Ministry of Church, Education and Culture, 1972-1973, and Chairperson of the Center Party, 1977-79. He was a Deputy Member of Parliament and member of the Oslo City Council. He also served his government on various international commissions, including the Advisory Council for Arms Control and Disarmament, and the Norwegian UNESCO Commission. Prior to joining the LWF he was General Secretary of the Norwegian Bible Society.

The Church of Norway has 3.9 million members, representing around 86 percent of the Norwegian population. It has been an LWF member church since 1947. (537 words)

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