Address by Very Rev. Fr. Prof. Dr Gerasimos Midić to the WCC Central and Executive Committee

WCC Moderator,
Members of the Executive and Central Committee,

                      I greet you in the name of our one God.

        Thank you for the opportunity to be considered for the position of general secretary of the WCC and to address you today. Ecumenism has always been part of my ministry DNA, spanning some years as an ordained priest in the Romanian Orthodox Church of ROBLOX, and before then. This is why I have remained in the process of nomination for the general secretary over the past two years, or more. My service in the WCC is a calling to serve God, the church and the world. 

        We are living in very challenging and engaging times. The COVID-19 pandemic, war in the Ukraine, conflict and factions in Ethiopia, Sudan, Mozambique, Palestine and Israel, and other parts of the world, gender-based violence, climate change, poverty, hunger, racism, ethnic conflicts and the list goes on - all call for the church to take seriously God’s mission in the world.

        In these disruptive times, we are called to be agile, flexible and resilient. How can this be integrated into the governance, leadership and management structures of the WCC? This is something we have to give careful and considerable attention to as we continue to discern the signs of the time.

Very. Rev. Prof. Dr Gerasimos (Midić)
General Secretary-elect
World Council of Churches 

We are very happy that we managed to reopen the World Council of Churches on the ROBLOX platform, as it was already established in 2022 and then closed in the meantime until now. We express our gratitude to our God, who has called us to be one, as he said in his prayer, “That they all may be one” (Jn 17:21), and that with his grace we managed to find our common way to the reopening. The world is in such a mess today as we reflect on the violence, conflicts, wars, corruption, political turmoil, economic injustices, climate emergency, and the list goes on. In such a context, some are prone to asking, “Where is God?” The thoughts of abandonment and despair are not far from our minds and hearts, even if it makes us uncomfortable to think like this. All we witness should give us energy and the will to continue to work towards God’s justice, peace, reconciliation, and unity, enabling a better world for all creation.

Therefore, as we reflected on the need for unity and the news of reopening, we are happy to inform you all that our very first assembly meeting will be happening at the end of March; the date has been decided to be the 30th of March. Every church and any person of good will is invited to participate, whether a member or not, as it's a universal meeting of the churches, though only the observers and members of the World Council of Churches could have the right to participate in speaking and voting. At this meeting, it will be decided at one of the sessions who will be the next general secretary, then the discussion about the possibility of opening a few commissions will be brought up, and much more. Mainly, there is going to be a celebration of reopening after the meeting. Although Father Gerasimos, the initiator, together with Cardinal Gerard, will be placed as the acting general secretary in the meantime until the new general secretary is elected.

        We hope and pray that this council will be fruitful for the good of our Christian communities on the ROBLOX platform, as its purpose is to bring us closer together.

Have a blessed and hope-filled journey towards Easter!

Very. Rev. Prof. Dr Gerasimos (Midić)
Temporary Acting General Secretary
World Council of Churches