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Photo essay
Lampedusa pilgrim team visit

WCC visit to Italy harvests examples of the churches’ unconditional support to refugees and migrants

The Central Mediterranean route is the overseas crossing from North Africa to Italy. Those migrating on this route generally aim to reach Italian shores but leave from a variety of North African countries bordering the Mediterranean. Though in past years most migrants have departed from Libya, which is a destination for migrants as well as a transit country, there is also a proportionally small but growing number of departures from Tunisia, Egypt, and Algeria.

27 May 2022
Interview
protests over the depletion and contamination of groundwater resources famously led to the closing of a Coca-Cola factory in the village of Plachimada, India, in 2005. 

Groundwater is “a political question”

In many regions, groundwater is being extracted faster than it can be replenished. Groundwater pollution from raw material extraction, industry, private households, and agriculture is also increasing. This year’s UN’s World Water Day focused on groundwater, urging to make “the invisible visible.” A new publication by Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World, Germany), a member of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network, takes up this call and demands the better protection and fairer use of this vital resource.  WCC news talked to co-author Dr Ingrid Jacobsen about the social and political dimension of groundwater.

27 April 2022
Interview
Two boys pull their suitcases as they arrive at the Vama Siret border crossing, which connects northeast Romania with Ukraine. Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian military starting on 24 February 2022, thousands of refugees have fled across the Ukrainian border into Romania, Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC

Churches´Commission for Migrants in Europe release European church leaders’ statement on response of Europe to refugees

The Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe - CCME released a statement that speaks about the response of Europe to refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. The statement addresses the concerns of discriminatory treatment of non-Ukrainians and minority ethnic people in this context and the more general question that the generosity shown in recent weeks often has not been extended to those fleeing from elsewhere.

Below, Dr Torsten Moritz, general secretary at the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe, reflects on why church leaders requested such a statement, and what lies at the heart of some of their different inputs.

07 April 2022
Feature story
man inside a well in Honduras

Groundwater: a hidden treasure we need to protect, say EWN members

Groundwater resources are the invisible lifeline of our planet. They provide almost half of all drinking water worldwide, about 40% of water for irrigated agriculture and about one third of the water supply required for industry. Yet many people are unaware of the importance of groundwater. That is why this year’s World Water Day on 22 March focuses on the theme “Groundwater: making the invisible visible.” In this article, members of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network testify to the urgency of protecting our global groundwater.

28 February 2022
Blog post
a glass of water

Reflecting on California groundwater abuse

I live in western Oregon, part of the Pacific Northwest long regarded as a verdant paradise, courtesy of rains and snowfall that can exceed 100 inches each year.  The snowfall in the mountains sustains our rivers through the dry summer.  But our climate has been profoundly disrupted.  Where I live, summers are far drier and hot.  But just to the south of us, this climate change has caused a drought worse than any drought in the past 1200 years.  Scientists call it a “mega-drought,” a severe drought affecting massive areas of the western United States for more than two decades.  

24 February 2022
Blog post
PhotoByAlbinHillert_20180616_AH1_1489.jpg

Why theology must occupy social media

I see five imperatives for theologians (prophetic, pastoral and priestly), to occupy the social media space, which is currently dominated by politics (politricks), business (including profiteers), entertainers (artists, sports, etc.), economists, lawyers, etc.

10 January 2022
Blog post
Bible in the Chapel of the Ecumenical Centre, sun shining on the page open with Isaiah 42

New Year’s resolutions: a biblical reflection

The year often begins with making firm resolutions, taken with earnestness and commitment. The following weeks and months are familiarly littered with broken promises and failures. Successful and consistent adherence to new years’ resolutions is, from my experience, rare. To change this pattern of failure, I look to the holy scripture for help.

05 January 2022
Publication
Contemporary Ecotheology Cover

Contemporary Ecotheology, Climate Justice and Environmental Stewardship in World Religions

Ecothee Volume 6th-Orthodox Academy of Crete Publication

The 6th International Conference on Ecotheology and Environmental Ethics – Ecothee-19 – took place in September 2019 and brought together 40 academics, church leaders and activists from different parts of the world. 

This book, published by Embla Akademisk, consists of articles developed in the aftermath of the conference. 

This book is intended as a scientific anthology showing the diversity of ecotheology found in various religious traditions. 

It is divided into three main sections: Theological and philosophical reflection, Ethics and best practices and global contributions. We are convinced that the book and its contributions will help to provide a deeper insight into the diversity that exists within global ecotheology.

19 December 2021
Feature story
community bathroom

“Bathroom ministry” for the homeless

Whether people have access to a safe and clean toilet has wide-reaching consequences for their dignity, health, access to education, and gender equality. Churches around the world are therefore acting as messengers, implementers, advocators, and guardians to promote better sanitation and hygiene. There are many practical and encouraging examples. One is the Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew & Matthew (SsAM) in Wilmington (Delaware) in the USA, which has a “community bathroom” that people from the homeless community can use.

14 December 2021