Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit was elected general secretary of the World Council of Churches in August 2009, and took up his new post in January 2010. At the time of his election, Tveit was the general secretary of the Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations (2002-09).

 

Dr. Tveit will be the keynote speaker at the Thursday morning plenary of the Centennial Gathering/General Assembly.

 

Before taking up the post of general secretary, Tveit served the WCC as a member of the Faith and Order Plenary Commission and as a co-chair of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum core group.

 

In his home country, he served as a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the Christian Council of Norway, moderator of the Church of Norway - Islamic Council of Norway contact group and the same for the Jewish Congregation contact group.  He also was a member of the Inter-Faith Council of Norway and a member of the board of trustees of Norwegian Church Aid. 

 

Previous assignments include the position of secretary for the Church of Norway Doctrinal Commission, 1999-2000, and Church-State Relations, 2001-02.  

Tveit is an ordained pastor in the Church of Norway and has also served as a parish priest in Haram, Møre Diocese, 1988-91 and an army chaplain during his compulsory year of national service in 1987-1988.

 

In 2002, Tveit was awarded a doctorate in theology by the Norwegian School of Theology/Menighetsfakultetet in Oslo for his dissertation on Mutual Accountability as Ecumenical Attitude.

 

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