Josef L. Hromadka

IT is impossible to write on this subject without direct
reference to W. A. Visser 't Hooft, for whom I have a deep
affection, and whose ecumenical leadership I never cease to
appreciate. I do not know anyone who would be better fitted
for the position he now occupies in the ecumenical movement,
not only organizationally, but also personally and morally.
Over and over again I have tried to discover the very roots of
his authority and strength. After twenty years, and even more,
of his activity as the leading secretary of the ecumenical
movement, his influence and personal prestige have in no way
diminished. On the contrary, many of us wonder who might,
in foreseeable time, adequately replace him and continue his
work. But it is not our business to meditate on this matter.
The Lord of our life and death, present in our midst as Jesus of
Nazareth, knows better than we do how to guide the minds
and hearts of those who will be responsible for the selection of
new men.

The days when Wim Visser 't Hooft and I met first and got
to know one another are, historically speaking, far away. It
was at the General Committee of the World's Student
Christian Federation at Nyborg, in Denmark, in 1926. John
R. Mott was then an unrivalled leader of the Student Christian

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