WCC Faith and Order director John Gibaut today cited progress in the work of the Faith and Order Commission at the annual meeting of its standing commission outside Milan.

A common charter reflecting the essential elements of quality in theological education for schools of all denominational backgrounds was proposed recently by representatives of the World Conference of Associations of Theological Institutions (WOCATI) at a meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Exploring how churches can positively respond to the challenge of climate change and environmental destruction was the aim of one of the workshops of the IEPC.

As recovery efforts in Japan proceed, the full impact of the earthquake and tsunami two weeks ago continues to be felt by some of the World Council of Churches (WCC) member churches there.

The WCC and church organizations on both sides of the Atlantic are urging NATO to remove all United States nuclear weapons still based in Europe and end their role in the alliance’s policy. The 200 or so nuclear weapons involved are “remnants of Cold War strategies” the ecumenical organizations say in joint letters.

From the sound of a new song written specifically for the upcoming International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, to a proclamation that Jamaica is the proper place for this peace event, the IEPC was officially launched at a ceremony in Kingston, Jamaica on 15 March.

“Without any doubt, ecclesiology remains in our times the crucial issue for Christian theology in ecumenical perspective.” This was one of the conclusions drawn by a week-long consultation in Cyprus at which forty Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox representatives provided a common response to The Nature and Mission of the Church, published by the Faith and Order Commission in 2005.

"It is with great sadness that the World Council of Churches (WCC) received the news that Mr Kim Dae-jung, former President of South Korea, has passed away," WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia wrote in a letter of condolences to the widow of the East Asian country's first democratically elected leader.

As the world faces an "unprecedented situation of increasing violence, proliferation of non-state armed groups, and non-international armed conflicts", the "effective compliance with the Geneva Conventions" appears as an "urgent priority", said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a statement marking the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.

Support "for the United Church of Canada (UCC) in its on-going work for peace with justice in Israel-Palestine" was expressed by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a letter sent to the leaders of the church as it begins its 2009 General Conference.