wfn.org | Norwegian Bishop Gunnar J. Stalsett Celebrates 70th Birthday

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

Norwegian Bishop Gunnar J. Stalsett Celebrates 70th Birthday
The Former LWF General Secretary "Took Far-Reaching Initiatives"

GENEVA 10 February 2005 (LWI) * The Lutheran Bishop of Oslo (Norway), and
former general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr
Gunnar Stalsett celebrates his 70th birthday today. 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 Stalsett 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.

Stalsett 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, Stalsett 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.

Stalsett 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)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138
member churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of
nearly 65 million Lutherans. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches
in areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations,
theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the
various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is
located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless
specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or
opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an
article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

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