Churches respond to 60 years of conflict in Israel and Palestine with a global week of actions for peace

A common prayer and message for peace in Palestine and Israel is ready for use in about 100 countries. Churches in 17 countries, plus two international ecumenical organizations, are planning various education and advocacy activities. These and more are part of a global week of action led by the World Council of Churches (WCC), 4-10 June 2008. This year marks 60 years since the partition of Palestine and 41 years of occupation.

Pay up at the tap: Pre-paid water meters put the poor at risk

In Lesotho, South Africa and many other African countries, devices that restrict consumers to only using water that they have paid for in advance are being promoted as a way to fund better water infrastructure. A problematic approach, church water experts warn, as it endangers the poorest of the poor's access to this indispensable necessity of life.

Relief agencies wait for visas to aid Myanmar

The crisis in Myanmar is continuing to deteriorate as thousands of people remain homeless and relief supplies are slow in coming. Member churches of the World Council of Churches (WCC) are finding it difficult to respond to the crisis despite their willingness to provide funds and personnel. A former staff member living in Myanmar has said the situation continues to worsen.

WCC comment on 60 years of Israel and Palestine

Growing Christian community in Nepal needs strengthened theological education

Firsthand reports on the extraordinary development of Christianity in Nepal and the growing need for improvements in theological education and participation in the ecumenical movement were all part of recent consultation on the future of theological education in South Asia.

Myanmar: Churches to mobilize emergency aid

As the death toll of the tropical cyclone Nargis soars by the hour, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Kobia expressed "great distress and sadness" in a condolence letter to the Myanmar Council of Churches. "The humanitarian aid arm of the WCC and its member churches, Action by Churches Together (ACT) initiated a process to mobilize its members in various countries to extend all possible humanitarian assistance to the...

Iraqi refugees cry out to Christians around the world for solidarity

"Although I had been threatened many times in Iraq, I did not want to leave," says the Armenian Orthodox hairdresser Cayran. "But then my shop was burnt and the car of my husband, who used to work as a driver, was robbed. So we left everything behind and fled to Syria."

WCC congratulates Paraguayan President-elect

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has congratulated President-elect Fernando Lugo on his victory in Paraguay's recent presidential election. In a letter dated 29 April, Kobia highlights Lugo's "commitment to the poorest and excluded", in tune with "the rich tradition of a Latin American Christianity which has struggled to follow Jesus amidst a reality marked by inequality and lack of justice".

Ecumenical observers challenge Zimbabwe election process and demand respect for the will of the people

The 29 March elections in Zimbabwe were "far from being free and fair" and were "skewed in favour of the incumbent who openly utilised state resources to his advantage," two ecumenical bodies said in a recently released report on the election. The Zimbabwean people "expressed their will on polling day" and that will must be "upheld and respected" the report said.

Statement on Zimbabwe by the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches

Concerned about the integrity of elections, the World Council of Churches Central Committee stated recently that, "...in democratic systems, elections serve as a way for people to confer legitimacy on a participatory democratic political system. In order to ensure that an election truly reflects the will of the people, attention should be paid to pre- and post-electoral mechanisms."