German Protestant pastor died in Ethiopia crash

Norman Tendis worked in Austria and was on the way to a UN conference in Nariobi as a representative of the World Council of Churches.

Evangelical Focus

VIENNA · 12 MARCH 2019 · 12:05 CET

An image of the Rvd. Norman Tendis. / Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC,
An image of the Rvd. Norman Tendis. / Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC

A German Lutheran pastor was among the 157 people who died on 10 March after the crash of a Boeing in Bishoftu (Ethiopia).

Norman Tendis was in the plane to Nairobi, where he was planning to attend a United Nations conference. He was going to represent the positions of the World Council of Churches (WCC a global ecumenical organisation), as a member of its staff.

The Boeing 737 crashed minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa. The cause is still unknown.

Tendis was a WCC consultant on creation care issues, the organisation said in a statement. He was on the way to attend the UN Conference Environment Assembly, to present a “Roadmap for Congregations, Communities and Churches for an Economy of Life and Ecological Justice” on Monday morning.

“We express our deepest condolences on the passing of the all the people on board the aircraft, and we have particular anguish upon the loss of our own Rev. Norman Tendis, who was passionately carving out a path for economic and environmental justice”, said Olav Fykse Tveit, leader of the WCC.

Norman Tenis also served as a local Lutheran pastor in Austria.

Among those who died in the crash are at least 21 United Nations staff members, and other attendants to the conference, including interpreters representatives of several organisations.

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