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As the General Synod of the Church of England voted allowing women to serve as bishops, an issue under discussion in the church since a long time, posing challenges for its internal and external relationships, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed his hopes and prayers “that this decision proves to be a blessing for the mission of the Church of England”.

Sincere condolences were expressed at the death of Bishop Vinton R. Anderson by the WCC general secretary. The first African American to serve as the WCC president for North America, from 1991-98, Bishop Anderson of the African Methodist Episcopal Church passed away on Wednesday.

Continuing with a long-time commitment of the WCC, a recent statement issued by Council’s chief governing body reaffirms churches’ “solidarity with those working for peace with justice in Palestine and Israel”. The statement encourages churches to make responsible decisions regarding their investments which have an impact on the current situation in the region.

Attacks by the Israeli military on the civilian population in Gaza, as well as firing of rockets by militants from Gaza to Israel, were strongly condemned by the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.

Bishop Eva Brunne from Stockholm is one of three Swedes on the Central Committee of the WCC, which met in Geneva 2-8 July. “The Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace” became the central focus of the Committee’s work.

Berit Hagen Agøy, general secretary of the Council on Ecumenical and International Relations in the Church of Norway, is passionate about changing the world for the better and fighting the injustice that exists.

We met Rev. Dr Simo Peura, bishop of the Diocese of Lapua in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and a member of the Central and Executive Committees of the WCC, in the chapel at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva.

Inspired by the theme “pilgrimage of justice and peace”, the Central Committee of the WCC, a chief governing body of the Council, has set directions for the work of the Council from 2014 to 2017.

Anders Wejryd, one of the presidents of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Archbishop Emeritus of the Church of Sweden, has been committed to climate issues since the start of the 1970s and the worldwide oil crisis of that time. To attain a vision of life in God’s kingdom – a healed creation and humanity in a harmony of justice, freedom and peace – Wejryd believes the issue of climate change must be taken seriously. He says that it is about safeguarding the creation, but that it is also an issue of justice and peace.

As the members of the WCC Central Committee return to their home communities, they will continue some key questions related to their pilgrimage of justice and peace.

In a statement “Towards a Nuclear-free World”, the Central Committee of the WCC recommended ways for churches to work to end nuclear dangers and respond to the witness of those affected by continuing nuclear tragedies – from Hiroshima in 1945 to Fukushima in 2011 and beyond.

Eighteen-year-old Asha Smith has a vision for changing laws that lead to injustice. In some ways, she is just beginning her life pilgrimage. While studying law at American University in Washington, DC, she serves as a youth intern for the Church Federation of Greater Indianapolis (USA), her home community.

Fr Rex R. B. Reyes, Jr. vividly remembers what he calls “the fateful morning of 8 November” 2013.

These pilgrims are laughing a lot. After intensely debating everything from church unity to the very meaning of the word “pilgrimage” last week, some members of the WCC Central Committee embarked on a three-hour hike on Sunday afternoon that revealed the not-so-serious side of the WCC governing body.

For Roma Ann Nisha Prodhan of the Church of North India the value of being at peace is rooted in recognizing disagreements but finding ways to keep moving forward together as a community and fellowship of churches.

When Dr Ulysses Burley III visited Palestine and Israel six months ago, he came away with an even stronger determination to work for social justice, wherever and however he can.

The chasm between the haves and have-nots is increasing around the world. And churches need to do more to ensure economic justice for communities. This perspective underlined the discussions at a plenary held during the WCC Central Committee meeting on 5 July in Geneva, Switzerland.

While Bishop Sofie Petersen can talk convincingly about the science behind climate change, she'd rather talk about what's happening to the people in her home region of Greenland.

When the Central Committee of the WCC convenes in plenary sessions during the course of its current meeting, the 150 representatives of member churches and assorted observers gather in the W.A. Visser ’t Hooft Hall, the main meeting room of the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The room is named for a theologian from the Netherlands who served as the first general secretary of the WCC from 1948 to 1966.

Early Thursday morning – the very morning he would gather with his WCC colleagues to talk about unity among churches and solidarity in conflicts - Metropolitan Eustathius Matta Roham watched a disturbing video recorded in Syria.