The bulk of the World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary¯s November will be spent in Latin America, the WCC announced on Oct. 25. The Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, who was elected as the general secretary to the world¯s largest ecumenical body this year, will spend Nov. 1-20 in Latin America, meeting with members and representatives of churches, ecumenical organizations, governments and civil society in five countries.

The highlight of Kobia¯s visit is the WCC assembly planning committee meeting from November 10-12 in Brazil. The committee is charged with the task of organizing the 9th WCC assembly which has been scheduled for February 2006 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The November trip marks the first time Kobia visited Latin America, since his inception as the General Secretary.

The following is Kobia¯s brief schedule, as released by the WCC:

La Paz, Bolivia, 1-4 November

- Brasilia, Brazil, 5-6 November

- Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, 7-8 November

- Porto Alegre, Brazil, 9-13 November

- Buenos Aires, Argentina, 14-16 November

- Montevideo, Uruguay, 17-18 November

- Santiago, Chile, 19-20 November.