John Victor Samuel, Pakistani ecumenical leader, dies at age 87
Samuel was also the first Pakistani bishop in the Methodist Church.
John Victor Samuel, a prominent Asian ecumenical leader, died in Multan, Pakistan, on August 30 at age 87.
A Christian leader from his student days, Samuel served as general secretary of Pakistan’s Student Christian Movement. He went on to be president of the National Council of Churches in Pakistan. An ordained Methodist minister, he was the first Pakistani bishop in the Methodist Church.
Between 1973 and 1977 he was a member of the presidium of the Christian Conference of Asia, and from 1990 to 1995, he led the CCA as its general secretary.
“Bishop John Victor Samuel lived his commitment for peace, unity and harmony,” said Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, “by working tirelessly for interfaith relations, as well as for the unity of Christians in Pakistan and beyond.”
A version of this article appears in the print edition under the title “People: John Victor Samuel.”
