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Church leaders from Syria, Russia, the United States and European nations have called a political solution the only way towards peace in Syria. This stance was shared in a communique they issued following their meeting with Kofi Annan, former United Nations general secretary, and Lakhdar Brahimi, UN-Arab League joint representative for Syria.

A global survey on theological education urges churches to put emphasis on Christian leadership formation, collaboration in theological education, support for scholarship programmes and development of capacity-building for theology students.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has received the Al-Hussein Decoration for Distinguished Service award, presented to him by King Abdullah II of Jordan. Tveit expressed gratitude for this acknowledgement of his contributions to interfaith dialogue and the WCC’s work in promoting peaceful relations between Christians and Muslims.

Following a WCC meeting with church leaders from Russia, Syria, the U.S. and Europe on role of the church moving all parties in Syria towards a peace agreement, following their discussions with Kofi Annan, former UN secretary general and Lakhdar Brahimi, Joint Representative for Syria, a press conference will be held on 19 September in Geneva, Switzerland.

Celebrating water as God’s creation and reflecting on challenges faced by people having inadequate access to this life-giving resource, members of churches in Onex, Switzerland, gathered together in Geneva. Their meeting was held beside a pond called Étang des Mouilles on the rainy Sunday morning of 15 September.

A three-day WCC consultation has featured diverse perspectives from Asia, Africa, Middle East and Europe on the politicization of religion and how this phenomenon contributes to discrimination and persecution of religious minorities around the world.

Work for the rights of religious minorities should be done in the spirit of universalism, said the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, in his opening address at a WCC consultation.

At a recent event in Geneva, 120 members of migrant communities representing various local churches were given an orientation to the WCC assembly in Busan, Republic of Korea. The event featured reflections on justice and peace issues, especially in relation to migrant workers.

“Justice and peace now!” was a call made by the participants of the Asia-Pacific Students and Youth Gathering in the Philippines. They affirmed their role in revitalizing the ecumenical movement, aspiring to be “seeds of hope, catalysts of genuine and lasting peace that is based on justice”.

A seminar has marked the strengthening of relationships between the WCC and the Global Christian Forum, affirming their distinctive and complementary roles in the quest for Christian unity.

A WCC consultation in Geneva will facilitate dialogue on issues related to religious minorities and the politicization of religion, which contributes to discrimination and persecution of religious minorities around the world.

The WCC invites its member churches, faith-based organizations and civil society to observe the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel from 22 to 28 September, invoking prayers, action and advocacy for justice and peace in Palestine.

Organized by the WCC with the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches and the Cantonal Reformed Churches of Berne, Jura and Solothurn, a recent conference gathered theological reflections on migration, a concern which remains at the heart of many current church debates.

Patriarch Irinej of the Serbian Orthodox Church has addressed the United Nations (UN) in New York at its High Level Forum on the Culture of Peace.

Hopes for strong expressions of women’s concerns for life, justice and peace at the WCC's upcoming assembly were expressed at the 90th anniversary of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) - Woman’s Guild, held recently in Kenya.

Members of migrant and local churches in Geneva will get to experience the life and spirit of the WCC 10th Assembly in their own city on Saturday 14 September.

Christians in the Arab world “do not consider themselves as minorities, but rather want to understand themselves as full citizens of their nations, with all that this status entails in terms of duties, responsibilities and full rights.”

The WCC and the Armenian Apostolic Church are hosting a one-month exhibition on the Armenian genocide, displaying information on the history of genocidal events in the Ottoman Empire which killed more than a million Christian Armenians between 1915 and 1923.

While condemning all use of chemical weapons in Syria, the WCC general secretary said that “we must do everything possible to starve the fire of war rather than feeding it with further deadly armaments.”

The WCC and the Global Christian Forum will hold a seminar on Wednesday 11 September addressing how best to strengthen relationships between Christian councils and church forums in order to promote dialogue and cooperation in seeking broader Christian unity and common witness.