Porto Alegre, Brazil
The World Council of Churches (WCC) assembly on Feb. 22 elected its 150-member central committee, its governing body, after three days of contentiousness over the lack of youth delegates (aged 18 to 30) on the nominations slate.
The group includes 87 men (58 per cent) and 63 women (42 per cent); 22 youth (15 per cent) and six indigenous persons (4 per cent).
The committee fell short in every mandated representation category, but it was the lack of youth that prompted loud outcries.
Young participants, angered that the number of youth nominees fell short of the mandated 25 per cent, demanded that the assembly remove the label “the youth assembly” from its rhetoric.