The head of the World Council of Churches in his first official meeting with Pope Benedict XVI has said he wants to strengthen cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church, especially in the Middle East.
He noted that at the meeting, he and Pope Benedict had stressed that there are many levels at which the WCC and Roman Catholic Church already cooperate. Tveit said he asked the Pope: "How can we strengthen the already strong cooperation we have?"
He had also offered the pontiff a pair of Norwegian woolen gloves "because in winter they protect well from the cold. So, in this time, which, according to some people is an ecumenical winter, they are as a symbol of the possibility to go ahead, despite the difficulties, and to continue patiently our work for Christian unity."
The Pope showed great interest in how the WCC will "strengthen the work of visible unity between the churches," Tveit said. "He emphasized in a very kind and also a very strong way the importance of the World Council of Churches' work and the ministry I am called to do as general secretary."
Still, the relationship between the Catholic Church and the WCC, "is much more than the link between Rome and Geneva", said Tveit, a Norwegian Lutheran who took up his WCC post in January.
"The WCC is a fellowship of Churches around the world, and when I travel and meet with the member churches, in many cases they describe to me how they cooperate with the Roman Catholic Church on the local level and national level," he stated.
"We talked about the situation in Israel and Palestine. And the churches there need to have a united witness. I mentioned the great importance of the Roman Catholic Church there and how it is also contributing to the one ecumenical voice in Jerusalem," Tveit continued.
