“Walking together”
From his former work as a parish pastor in the canton of Fribourg, Daniel de Roche knows the Roman Catholic Church quite well. During his time on the Swiss National Ecumenical Council, he has come to know and appreciate the multilateral relations between the churches. AGCK Switzerland is the only ecumenical platform in Switzerland that is active on a national level. During his visit to Geneva on June 21, Pope Francis said that walking together, praying together and working together are the royal road leading towards Christian unity. Daniel de Roche: “I want to continue on this road together with the churches of the Swiss National Ecumenical Council and carry on and intensify the cordial relations with Protestant churches and communities.”
FSPC Representative
Pastor Daniel de Roche has represented the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (FSPC) on the AGCK.CH presidium since 2015. He has been its Vice President since 2017. The President is proposed by the FSPC, the Swiss Bishops’ Conference (SBK) and one of the other member churches of the AGCK.CH for a term of two years and elected by the delegates during the plenary assembly. Auxiliary Bishop Denis Theurillat, representing the SBK, will exercise his office as AGCK.CH President until the end of 2018.
AGCK Switzerland: multilateral ecumenism
Today, the AGCK Switzerland has twelve member churches and three churches or religious communities that have guest status. It was founded in 1971 as the only nationwide platform in which the churches exchange information and engage in theological dialogue. Cantonal ecumenical working groups have been established in several cantons.