The Geneva-based WCC said in a statement today (July 15) it will be represented by one of its presidents, Patriarch Abune Paulos, head of the Ethiopian
Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and by Metropolitan Emmanuel (Adamakis) of France, from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Orthodox church that is based in Istanbul.
Also attending the conference will be Lebanese Minister of Culture Tarek
Mitri, a former WCC staff member, who belongs to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, as well as the WCC’s director of inter-religious dialogue, the Rev. Shanta Premawardhana.
The International Conference for Dialogue is expected to draw about 200 participants representing Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism.
Islam is the official state religion of Saudi Arabia, while non-Muslim religious services and symbols are banned within the kingdom’s territory.
The WCC works to promote Christian unity and it is a grouping of 349 mainly
Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant churches, representing more than 560 million Christians in more than 110 countries. It works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church, which serves on some committees of the WCC but is not a member
