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At the close of the 50th year since promulgation of Vatican II’s declaration on Christian relations with other religions, relations between Christians and Jews, and between Christians and Muslims, are freshly explored in the just-released issue of Current Dialogue.

A 50-year-old religious text can shape interreligious relationships crucial for peace-building today, found participants in a workshop organized by the WCC and attended by guests from the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) on 28 October.

Joining efforts to explore how to move from dependency on fossil fuel to a sustainable future, faith representatives gathered at the Indonesian Pavilion at COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco on 8 November, for an event hosted by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

Continuing the tradition of offering greetings to interreligious partners during festive seasons, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit offered greetings to Hindu religious partners on the occasion of Diwali, a Hindu festival of lights.

The Grand Imam of Cairo’s prestigious Al-Azhar mosque and university, Prof. Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb, will visit the WCC to give a public lecture and participate in high-level dialogue on interreligious peacemaking. “We are honoured to welcome one of the world’s highest-ranking and most influential Muslim leaders to Geneva, and I very much look forward to his lecture and to sharing views with him on the many challenges that we as religious persons and leaders face together,” says WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.

“Bossey opened my mind and my horizon.” These words from a former student touched Rev. Dr Dagmar Heller, dean of the Bossey Ecumenical Institute, one month ago as the two met at a conference.

«Bossey m’a ouvert l’esprit et a élargi mes horizons.» Ces mots prononcés par un ancien élève rencontré le mois dernier au cours d’une conférence ont ému la pasteure Dagmar Heller, doyenne de l’Institut œcuménique de Bossey. Pour elle, ils reflètent ce qui se produit à Bossey depuis 70 ans: une expérience bouleversante qui transforme les étudiantes et étudiants en responsables de leur communauté locale et du mouvement œcuménique mondial.

The Ecumenical Institute at Château de Bossey is observing its 70th anniversary with notable speakers, creative worship, prayer services and a book launch, over the weekend of 30 September - 2 October.

L’Institut œcuménique du Château de Bossey fête son 70e anniversaire avec d’éminents intervenants, des ateliers créatifs, des services de prière et le lancement d’un livre, le week-end du 30 septembre au 2 octobre.

Religious leaders must break their silence with regard to young people and sexual reproductive health, agreed young people and theologians gathered in Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) from 6-7 September.

“I have an absolute confidence in your youthful and great enthusiasm and your heightened state of awareness that you will be ambassadors of peace, mercy and cooperation among all peoples.” This message, from Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Dr Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, visibly uplifted and inspired young people attending a seminar, “Youth Engagement, Religion and Violence,” in Cairo this week.

Interreligious trust and respect has proven a key challenge in communities worldwide, not least in contexts where the need for successful peacebuilding is dire. Therefore, 11 August marked an important day in the history of the Ecumenical Institute as it saw the first students receive their CAS in Interreligious Studies diplomas.

Établir le respect et la confiance entre les religions se révèle difficile dans les communautés du monde entier, en particulier dans les contextes où le besoin d’instaurer la paix se fait cruellement sentir. C’est pourquoi la journée du 11 août est à marquer d’une pierre blanche dans l’histoire de l’Institut œcuménique de Bossey.

Seventeen students completed a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies in August at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. The six-week course, credited by the University of Geneva, is evenly split between distance learning and a residential experience.

Au mois d’août 2016, 17 étudiantes et étudiants ont obtenu leur certificat d’études avancées (CAS) en études interreligieuses à l’Institut œcuménique de Bossey. Cette formation de 6 semaines, accréditée par l’Université de Genève, se divise en un enseignement à distance et une expérience en internat d’importance égale.

On a sunny, hot afternoon on the grounds of the 18th-century Château de Bossey, 17 young people from across the world gathered for their graduation ceremony in the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies from the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey.

Rev. Dr Hielke Wolters is leaving the WCC after serving for nine years - the last seven years as associate general secretary - but he is not leaving the ecumenical movement to which he has been dedicated since his student days. Officially is he going to retire, but only on the paper. He has many thoughts and plans to realize as he moves back to the Netherlands to serve, in one way or another, the church or the wider ecumenical movement. Wolters said to WCC News with a smile: “I’m open for any suggestion and I know that God will lead me in the right direction when that time comes.”

Le pasteur Hielke Wolters quitte le COE après y avoir travaillé pendant neuf ans, notamment au poste de secrétaire général associé ces sept dernières années, mais il ne quitte pas le mouvement œcuménique auprès duquel il est engagé depuis qu’il est étudiant. Officiellement, il prend sa retraite, mais seulement sur le papier. Il retourne aux Pays-Bas et a beaucoup d’idées et de projets pour servir, d’une manière ou d’une autre, l’Église ou le mouvement œcuménique au sens large. Le pasteur a déclaré au centre de presse du COE, avec un sourire: «je suis ouvert à toutes les suggestions et je sais que Dieu me guidera dans la bonne direction le moment venu.»

At an interfaith prayer service on 7 June, people from diverse faith communities issued a call to action to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The call focuses on reducing stigma and discrimination; increasing access to HIV services; defending human rights; and ensuring testing and treatment for all, including children.

A refugee aid cooperation initiative backed by Christians, Jews and Muslims backed by the Federal German Government dubbed “Do you know who I am?” ("Weißt du, wer ich bin?") has launched in Berlin.