Following the catastrophic earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey, the Middle East Council of Churches in Syria interviewed H.E. Ephraim Maalouli, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, Alexandretta, and Dependencies.
A new report offering an overview of the human rights situation in West Papua found little progress in decreasing human rights violations in 2022 and calls for reducing violence and promoting accountability in 2023.
The publication “Called to Transformation – Ecumenical Diakonia” is newly available in German, offering resources to strengthen the diaconal capacity of churches and to advance the cooperation with specialized ministries.
Faith-based and humanitarian groups across the world were setting in motion appeals for aid and prayers as response expands in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on 6 February.
As communities in Turkey and Syria were left reeling in the wake of an earthquake that has killed at least 4,300 people—and that figure is growing—churches were reaching out to check on those affected and praying for the safety of those missing.
Can ecumenical peacebuilding guide the way towards shared interests in the Russia-Ukraine war, which exemplifies the clash of fundamentally different value systems, ethical frameworks, and historical narratives? Peter Prove, director of the WCC’s Commission of the Churches on International Affairs reflects on the issue in the inaugural edition of Geneva Policy Outlook, a new online publication.
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA released a message on 1 February that mourns the “senseless killing” of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black male who died from injuries sustained after a brutal beating at the hands of police officers in Memphis, Tennessee.
As Pope Francis travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo, then with Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, and Rt. Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland, to South Sudan on 3- 5 February, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay said he welcomes and supports the visits.
More than 600 people attended the Ninth Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-based Organizations in International Affairs, held online on 24 January. Exploring the theme “Securing People’s Wellbeing and Planetary Sustainability,” the symposium was organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and a coalition of faith-based and UN partners. The event featured UN officials, representatives of international faith-based organizations, and other experts on climate change, disarmament, and other relevant topics.
For the past 75 years, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced how close it believes the world is to a nuclear attack. On 24 January, it has announced that we are only 90 seconds to midnight.
World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay denounced a bomb attack that killed 17 members of the parish of the 8th Community of Pentecostal Churches of Congo on 15 January. Thirty-nine people were wounded.
A symposium on "Securing People’s Wellbeing and Planetary Sustainability” will be held 24 January. The 2023 symposium is the ninth of its kind, all related to the role of religion and faith-based organizations in international affairs.
World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay denounced continuing attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Russia’s ongoing illegal war against the people of Ukraine.
Media coverage of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly—held in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2022—indicated a global interest in how ecumenism can and will address the pressing concerns of the world, including climate change, the war in Ukraine, and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The World Council of Churches (WCC), in letters to Colombian president Gustavo Petro and to Colombian peace commissioner Danilo Rueda, expressed the WCC’s support and solidarity for peace-building in Colombia—and confirmed the WCC’s representation in the dialogue process between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) in response to an earlier invitation.
The World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches, in a joint letter sent 19 December to the European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, denounced the blockade by Azerbaijan of the ethnic Armenian region of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh, “as a violation of the tripartite agreement that ended the six-week war of 2020, of international humanitarian and human rights law, and of the most fundamental moral principles.”
An ecumenical delegation composed of five members from the National Baptist Convention USA Inc, United Methodist Church; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and United Church of Christ attended the first session of the Permanent Forum for People of African Descent, a historic event that constitutes the culmination of several years of consistent advocacy.
A new publication, “Applied Research Project: Assessing the impact of sanctions on humanitarian work,” has been released by the Geneva Graduate Institute in partnership with the World Council of Churches (WCC), ACT Alliance, Caritas Internationalis, and World Evangelical Alliance.