On Thursday, 13 October, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches the Revd Dr Olav Fykse Tveit will be visiting St Paul’s Cathedral. Dr Tveit is travelling to Australia at the invitation of the Rt Revd Philip Huggins, president of the National Council of Churches in Australia.
During his visit to Melbourne, he will 
be joined by heads of Churches, representatives of the Victorian Council of Churches, and members of the Cathedral Community at a festive sung ecumenical Evening Service. The service is led by Dean of Melbourne, Dr Andreas Loewe, and ecumenical representatives. and commences at 5.10pm. Dr Tveit (pictured left) will be preaching at the service.
Dr Tveit is the seventh and second youngest General Secretary of the World Council of Churches. A Pastor of the Norwegian Lutheran church, he took up his office in 2010. Following the service, at 6.15pm he will be delivering a public address, with the opportunity for questions on the current work of the World Council of Churches and future of the ecumenical movement.
President of the National Council of Churches in Australia, Bishop Philip Huggins, said: ‘We are always trying to better listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to our Church. The Revd Dr Olav Tveit’s role means he can bring to us special insight about what he sees and hears as he works with disciples of Jesus all over God’s world. His visit to Melbourne is therefore a profound opportunity to receive his insights and to deepen our partnership in the Gospel’.
Dean of Melbourne, Dr Andreas Loewe, said: ‘It is not often that a serving General Secretary of the World Council of Churches visits Australia, and we very much look forward to welcoming Dr Tveit to Melbourne. St Paul’s Cathedral has marked many ecumenical milestones, among the first of which was the visit of Pope John Paul II to the Cathedral to pray for the unity of Christians. It is a delight to mark these many milestones on the journey to a shared future as Christians united in a reconciled diversity, witnessing together to the power of the Good News of Jesus Christ to be and become ambassadors of reconciliation’.
Festive Sung Ecumenical Evening Prayer: 5.10pm
Lecture: 6.15pm