News
From 6-12 August, young people from all over the world will meet in Korea and embark on a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace, as their counterparts at the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva walk alongside them, thousands of miles away but side-by-side in spirit.
With a clarion call for reclaiming peace and hope for the world, the young people are part of the ECHOS Commission, which represents young Christians on a global level. With the theme “Walking with Peace, Reclaiming Hope,” the youth pilgrimage will call for healing and reconciliation in Korea, as well as a connectedness to global peace issues.
Prayer, reflection and dialogue are the backbone of the upcoming gathering. While “visiting wounds” from the Korean War and the divided Korean Peninsula, the young people hope to inspire engagement from their peers in the ecumenical movement. The meeting is also a lead-up to the 11th WCC Assembly and its youth pre-assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2021.
The peace pilgrimage in Seoul will be followed by a three-day meeting with the ECHOS Commission on Youth during which commissioners will stake out plans for the WCC programme.
The pilgrimage and the ECHOS meeting will be complemented by the worldwide yearly Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula on 11 August and the Ecumenical International Youth Day at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva on 12 August
The WCC 10th Assembly in Busan affirmed the need to have a body that enables active involvement of young adults and ensures sustainable development of youth engagement within ecumenical movements, the ECHOS Commission. The ECHOS Commission gathers once a year.
ECHOS Commission on youth in the ecumenical movement
Individual interviews will be arranged upon request. Please contact WCC Media Coordinator, Claus Grue, email: [email protected], phone +46 70 611 09 77.
