The World Council of Churches (WCC) is bringing prayers and expertise to the 23rd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples, which is running in New York from 15-26 April.
The fifth edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School on Water, Food, and Climate Justice, will be held 24-31 July in Crete, Greece. Convening in-person in the Orthodox Academy of Crete, Greece, the event is open to young people under 30 years of age from the Europe and North America region only.
In a public statement released by the leadership of the WCC central committee, the WCC encourages continued advocacy, “with Indigenous Peoples and on their behalf in defence of their human rights, to protect the use of human rights language, to promote Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination and the right to participate in the decision making process within churches and in society.”
To the sound of drums, the movement, and a candlelit sunset, the Indigenous Peoples Pre-Assembly celebrated together on 28 August, as people from across the globe gathered to unify their vision of renewing creation.
Four World Council of Churches (WCC) pre-assemblies are about to convene, drawing hundreds of people eager to, in a safe space, share their honest reflections and life challenges. The pre-assemblies include Indigenous Peoples, Ecumenical Youth Gathering, Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network, and Just Community of Women and Men.
The Joint Report of the Ecumenical Indigenous Peoples Network Reference Group and the Working Group on Climate Change of the World Council of Churches (WCC) affirmed the integral and pivotal role Indigenous Peoples have in shaping an alternative path of being in the right relationship with the whole of Creation.
From 31 May to 3 June, representatives from the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace Reference Group, Working Group on Climate Change, and the Young People in the Ecumenical Movement of the World Council of Churches formed a Pilgrim Team Visit to indigenous Sami communities in the south of Norway.
Indigenous people shared their personal experiences of pain — and a corresponding wisdom for the future — during a recent panel discussion focused on sharing visions of living in harmony with nature.
During a special service concluding the Church of Sweden’s General Synod on 24 November, Archbishop Antje Jackelén made an official apology from the Church of Sweden to the Sámi for historical abuse.
In a meeting held 9-11 November, the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism evaluated its work and impact on mission and global Christianity. The commission, since the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan in 2013, prepared the WCC Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, which took place in Arusha, Tanzania, in 2018.
The World Council of Churches Commission on World Mission and Evangelism released on 10 November a new publication “Call to Discipleship: Mission in the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace,” a collection of study documents of the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism 2018-2021.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism opened its online meeting 9-11 November, convening to evaluate its work and impact from the 10th WCC Assembly in Busan in 2013 to the 11th WCC Assembly in Karlsruhe in 2022.
At a side event during COP26, indigenous voices rang on the theme “Making Peace with Nature: Heeding the Call of Indigenous Peoples.” Held on 3 November, the virtual event drew enthusiastic supporters who waited outside the door of the meeting room in a show of solidarity.
On 10 November, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism will release a new publication, “Call to Discipleship: Mission in the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace,” a collection of the commission’s study documents from 2018-2021.
The World Council of Churches Commission on World Mission and Evangelism will hold an online meeting 9-11 November to evaluate its work and impact from the 10th WCC Assembly in Busan in 2013 to the 11th WCC Assembly in Karlsruhe in 2022.
A webinar on 18 October remembered past massacres in the Pacific, honoring the legacy and resilience of the victims. Speakers reflected on past massacres in Samoa, the Marshall Islands, and Kanaky, all of which took place during colonial times or during occupation.
A webinar on 18 October—fourth in an ongoing series—will remember past massacres that took place during colonial times or during occupation, and conversations will take participants to the Marshall Islands, the experience of the Kanaki people, and to Samoa.
Later this year, the Church of Sweden will make an official public apology for its historical role in the “legitimized repression” of Sweden’s indigenous Sámi people, according to a church statement. The church has declared eight commitments toward ongoing reconciliation with the Sámi people.
