WCC general secretary sends greetings to Muslims for Eid al Fitr

At the occasion of the Islamic festival of Eid al Fitr (the end of Ramadan), the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has extended greetings to the worldwide Muslim community in a message issued on 17 July.

In his message, the WCC general secretary highlighted the potential for people of faith, especially when they work together across religious boundaries, to be a powerful force for global good.

Tveit commented, “During the last year we have seen this potential in actions related to concerns such as climate change and care for the increasing streams of vulnerable migrants in many parts of our world.  It has been the privilege of the World Council of Churches and myself to work together with representatives of the Muslim community on such issues.”

Speaking about the WCC’s work on issues of “religion and violence” Tveit said that he is looking forward to continuing collaboration with Muslim friends and contacts.

“The World Council of Churches’ endeavours in this area form part of our ‘pilgrimage of justice and peace’ which constitutes the undergirding principle of our ecumenical vision for our time. Given the importance of the motif of pilgrimage in many world faiths, not least Islam, we hope that we will be able to travel on our pilgrim road with diverse companions, reflecting global religious cooperation,” the message adds.

“So my prayer as I send you these greetings for Eid Al Fitr is that our common commitment to ‘fear God’ may act as an impetus for all of us to hold onto hope in our hearts, tasked as we are by the God to whom we all need to give final account, to strive to make our common home a place which is more justly and peaceably shared by all,” said Tveit.

Source: oikoumene.org (July 17, 2015)