News
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is experiencing concurrent crises this year, and the World Council of Churches (WCC) has reached out to churches there with expressions of support and solidarity.
The West African country, long plagued by insurgencies in the northeast, has recently suffered extremist attacks in the northwest as well, creating “a situation of endemic insecurity for many communities and vast numbers of people,” according to a statement from the WCC’s executive committee.
Further, alarming rises in food insecurity and gender-based violence have accompanied the coronavirus pandemic, prompting calls for legal and social reforms.
In its statement, the executive committee notes the extensive ecumenical and interreligious engagement there and “expresses deep solidarity and prayers for the churches of Nigeria in their efforts to respond to such a constellation of crises [and] celebrates the signs of hope offered by the churches and their partners in the initiatives.”
The WCC’s executive committee is convening online this week, 20-24 July, to monitor and guide the WCC’s programmes and budget and support the fellowship in this time of pandemic.
Learn more about ecumenical engagement in Africa