October 4, 2004

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - The Secretary General of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Rev. Samuel Kobia will be distinguished by the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) in his upcoming visit to Argentina November 14-16 with the title of "Honoris Causa."

The UBA Superior Council made the decision, stating that the title is granted to "eminent individuals in the intellectual or artistic field, from the country or abroad," a title which fits the Methodist minister who was born in Kenya. The resolution was adopted at the initiative of Guillermo Jaime Etcheverry, UBA dean. In 2003 the UBA granted a Honoris Causa to Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago, 1998 Nobel Laureate for Literature.

The UBA is a state university and is Argentine's biggest and most prestigious university.

The resolution considers, among other things, that the Rev. Kobia has a diploma in theology from St. Paul's College in Kenya as well as a diploma in urban ministry from the McCormick Theological Seminary and a master's in City Planning from the Technological Institute of Massachusetts.

Kobia, elected secretary general of the WCC in August 2003 assumed the position in January this year. From 1999 to end-2002, he was the director of the WCC Cluster on "Issues and Themes," and in 2003 served as director and special representative for Africa of the WCC. He helped reorganize the Christian Council of Zimbabwe after independence and chaired the International Coordination Committee of Frontier Internship in Mission and was vice moderator of the WCC Program to Combat Racism.

He helped found the Nairobi Peace Group and the Fellowship of Councils of Churches in Eastern and Southern Africa, chaired peace talks for Sudan and chaired Kenya's National Election Monitoring Unit.

Kobia has written several books such as The Quest for Democracy in Africa (1993) considered the conditions under which democracy in Africa might succeed or fail; The Courage to Hope (2003) is a result of many years of collective struggle to come to terms with Africa's dilemmas.

ALC News Service