CCA mourns the passing of Bishop Kenneth M. Fernando, former CCA President

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

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03 September 2025

Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) General Secretary, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, expressed deep condolences on the passing of Bishop Kenneth M. Fernando, former CCA President and elder statesman of the Church of Ceylon. He was 93 years old.

Born on 25 July 1932 in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, Bishop Kenneth M. Fernando served as the Secretary of the Diocese of Colombo before being elected as the Bishop of Colombo, a position he held from 1992 to 2001. He served as the President of the CCA from 1995 to 2000.

Bishop Fernando was widely respected for his unwavering commitment to reconciliation during Sri Lanka’s decades-long civil war. He courageously championed peacebuilding initiatives and sought to bridge divides between warring ethnic and religious communities.

His outspoken advocacy for peace, however, also came at great personal risk. At the height of the conflict, his residence was bombed by those unhappy with his efforts to foster reconciliation. Undeterred, he continued to work tirelessly to build trust, foster interfaith harmony, and strengthen collaboration among religions in Sri Lanka and across Asia.

Recollecting his close association and work with Bishop Kenneth Fernando in the 1990s, when Bishop Kenneth was President of CCA, Dr Mathews George Chunakara said, “Bishop Kenneth M. Fernando was an exceptional church leader, who was deeply committed to nurturing wider ecumenism and strengthening interfaith dialogue and cooperation.”

The CCA General Secretary further added, “Bishop Kenneth's leadership within the Church of Ceylon and the ecumenical movement in Asia will be remembered with gratitude, and his legacy will continue to inspire generations of Christian leaders.”

Bishop Kenneth Fernando also served as the Director of the Ecumenical Institute for Study and Dialogue (EISD) from 1982 to 1992.

In December 2022, the Christian Conference of Asia felicitated and honoured Bishop Kenneth M. Fernando during a CCA programme held in Colombo, recognising his significant contributions to the Asian ecumenical movement and his decades of faithful service and visionary leadership.

Bishop Kenneth Fernando’s remains will be brought to the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour, Colombo, at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, 7 September. The Requiem will be held on Monday, 8 September, at 2:30 p.m. at the Cathedral, followed by interment at the General Cemetery, Borella, at 5:30 p.m.

Photographs of Bishop Kenneth Fernando’s close association with the CCA can be found here: