This was Bishop Kasper’s first visit to the WCC’s Geneva headquarters since taking up his new office in the Vatican last summer. In conversation with WCC representatives the Bishop expressed appreciation of the "valuable cooperation with the WCC", and described the work of the Commission on Faith and Order as "central" in this.

One important theme in future cooperation between the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and the WCC would be the question of baptism, the Bishop said. This will also be among the topics discussed by the Joint Working Group between the RCC and the WCC, which will meet for the first time with its new membership in May of this year in Beirut, Lebanon.

Besides topics like the mutual recognition of baptism, it would also be important to consider how far the significance of baptism as the sacramental basis of Christian unity can be expressed more clearly in liturgy, Kasper stressed: "The question is how we can celebrate our common Christian faith together."

Kasper also mentioned justification as another ecumenical challenge for the future. This was a fundamental question not only for Lutherans, but for all the Reformation churches. It would now be a case of examining how far the differentiated consensus worked out with the Lutherans could be extended to other Reformation churches and so broaden the basis of consensus, he said.

The WCC and the RCC maintain regular, close working relations. The Executive Committee of the Joint Working Groups meets twice a year, while its 35-member Plenary meets once a year. The RCC has twelve representatives on the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order, three members on the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism and consultants in other advisory bodies of the WCC. The RCC is also a member of several regional and national councils of churches.