Anne, at the time of those reports, delegates refused to talk to reporters about the confidential discussions about Kobia and directed them to the criticism from the Germans. We were told others were also criticising him but had no details. This is a common tactic at delicate international discussions like this; delegates or officials sometimes do not tip their own hands but point to someone who already has done so to show reporters what the arguments are. Moreover, Bishop Hein’s criticism wasn’t just any old statement. If the Germans pay fully 1/3 of the whole budget for the WCC, their word carries far more weight than that of a church making a small contribution. Since the reports of Kobia’s withdrawal, we’ve heard more details about the others who were critical behind closed doors, but these delegates are not talking so we can’t quote them. You seem to imply that if we dug more, we would find a different angle that would be more positive for Kobia. The fact that he went into this meeting unopposed and stood down so unexpectedly points to more opposition than you seem to think existed.