Willem A. Visser ‘T Hooft; Council of Churches Founder
Willem Adolf Visser ‘T Hooft, founding secretary-general of the World Council of Churches, died Thursday of emphysema at his home in Geneva. He was 84.
Visser ‘T Hooft, a Dutch theologian, became chief executive of the World Council at its formation Aug. 23, 1948, and served until 1966.
Under his leadership it grew from a membership of 147 non-Roman Catholic churches in 44 countries to an organization of 300 churches that represented about 400 million Christians in more than 100 countries.
Visser ‘T Hooft played a leading role in promoting ecumenical dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church and in bringing Orthodox Christian churches into the council.
His many theological books and other published writings focused on the spiritual renewal of churches and the common calling of Christians. The books were translated into many languages.
Visser ‘T Hooft was born Sept. 20, 1900, in Haarlem in the Netherlands. He served with a student federation before and during the war, and was credited with helping Jews flee Nazi Germany.
Visser ‘T Hooft’s wife, Henriette, died in 1968. They had two sons and one daughter.
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