In his address to the assembly prior to today’s elections Bishop Dr. Munib Younan  quoted Burmese peace activist Aung San Suu Kyi’s plea to “Please use your liberty to promote ours.” What a powerful name and figure to invoke! Dr. Suu Kyi, Nobel Laureate, has spent almost 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest in Burma for her outspoken committment to peace.

As a Palestinian Christian and a powerful voice for peace in the Middle East, Bishop Younan’s election as President of the Lutheran World Federation will no doubt promote liberty. In the words of outgoing President Bishop Mark Hanson, “This is a testament to the LWF’s accompaniment of a people living under occupation.”

President-elect, Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan

Our President-Elect has quite a number of accomplishments to his name. He was the first to translate the Augsburg Confession, a key document of the Lutheran Church, into Arabic,  is a former vice-president of the LWF, is currently president of the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches and serves with three Jerusalem patriarchs and nine other bishops on the International Christian Committee of Jerusalem.

At last night’s celebration of the life and ministry of Dr. Ishmael Noko, we young people were thrilled when Bishop Younan joined us as we danced around the dining hall during the rousing tribute that the Africa region gave to Dr. Noko. We look forward to continously celebrating the life and work of the Lutheran World Federation with him in the coming years!