April 30, 2008

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has congratulated President-elect Fernando Lugo on his victory in Paraguay's recent presidential election. In a letter dated 29 April, Kobia highlights Lugo's "commitment to the poorest and excluded," in tune with "the rich tradition of a Latin American Christianity which has struggled to follow Jesus amidst a reality marked by inequality and lack of justice."

Acknowledging "difficult" challenges ahead, Kobia assures the president-elect of his prayers for "his administration to bring more justice and reconciliation to the Paraguayan people," as well as the possibility of "building a society that reduces the gap between the rich and the poor and addresses corruption." Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, won the 20 April Paraguay's presidential election, ending six decades of one-party rule.

Full text (in Spanish) of the congratulation letter to the Paraguayan president-elect: http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=5798.

World Council of Churches