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The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has admired the Taizé community’s ecumenical approach to spirituality though “prayer, singing and silence”. “As we all work towards Christian unity, Taizé shows us how to be guests in prayer and overcome our divisions with humility,” said Tveit.

“Before God and our communities, we are responsible to Jews for the historical and ongoing realities of anti-Semitism, to Palestinians since the Nakba, to Muslim neighbours in the light of Islamophobia, to persons who are vulnerable, and to victims of colonial conquest, among others," said participants of a World Council of Churches (WCC) sponsored conference.

With the help of participants from several regions of the world a World Council of Churches (WCC) consultation recently looked at Christian self-understanding in the context of indigenous spiritual traditions.

The key role played by young people during the transformations in the Arab world throughout the past year was a recurrent theme for the recent World Council of Churches (WCC) Christian-Muslim consultation on “Christian Presence and Witness in the Arab World”.

How is Christian identity defined today? What is the relationship between Christian identity, spirituality, religious plurality and Christian-self understanding? Rev. Carlos Emilio Ham addressed these and other questions at the International Union of Superiors General’s (UISG) Assembly of the Constellation of Rome, on 12 January.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit reaffirmed churches’ commitment to justice and peace in the Middle East, while stressing the importance of a common vision for living together by Christians and Muslims in the Arab world.

Methodist Archbishop Michael Kehinde Stephen of Ibadan, Nigeria has appealed to Christian and Muslim leaders worldwide to act together in the face of extremist violence that threatens to divide Nigerians along religious lines.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed deep sadness over the current wave of violence in Nigeria, calling on the churches to pray for the victims, and asking the Nigerian president to support solidarity efforts for peace by both Christians and Muslims in the country.

The dignity of work and workers is a common value among the faith traditions. It is also the focus of a policy handbook titled Convergences: Decent Work and Social Justice in Religious Traditions , for which the World Council of Churches (WCC) has collaborated with the International Labour Organization (ILO) .

"€œChurches should not shy away from discussing health issues. The more we remain in denial, the more we end up promoting a culture of silence," said Dr Sr Elizabeth Vadakekara from India, representing the Medical Mission Sisters in London.

Increased engagement with Buddhism has widened rather than narrowed the range of questions for Christian-Buddhist dialogue, say scholars of the traditions and their interaction.

By George Arende (*)

In a statement read on 9 December to government members from around the world at the United Nations climate summit in Durban, South Africa, the World Council of Churches (WCC) reaffirmed the need for a fair, ambitious and binding treaty to effectively address climate change effects on vulnerable communities.

An international study process developed by the World Council of Churches (WCC) is preparing a report on freedom of religion as a fundamental human right for all.

The first draft of a new mission statement for the World Council of Churches (WCC) was at the centre of a 5-day meeting recently held by the 25-member Commission for World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) on the campus of the University of Ghana near Accra.

Churches in Canada addressed challenging questions, with a strong interfaith perspective, while responding to the document “Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Guidelines for Conduct” in an event held at the University of Toronto on 22 November.

In preparation for becoming Ecumenical Centre tour guides, six students of Catholic theology from the University of Fribourg in central Switzerland, recently spent a day at the World Council of Churches (WCC) to seek deeper understanding of the modern ecumenical movement and the work of the WCC.

Representatives of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church met in Malta from 31 October to 5 November in the final consultation of their Joint Working Group before the 10th Assembly of the WCC convenes at Busan, Republic of Korea in October 2013. The group is preparing a report on relations between Roman Catholics and the WCC since the 9th Assembly in February 2006.

Reflections on the recent “Arab spring” and young people’s involvement in the challenges of a changing ecumenical landscape were the focus of discussions in a recent meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Echos – Commission on youth in the ecumenical movement.

Given the significant role played by the young people in pursuit of peace in communities, the WCC features reflections from eight young people from around the world in its new book Echos for Peace, addressing the issues of global peace, justice and nonviolence, launched recently at the meeting of Echos Commission on Youth in the Ecumenical Movement in Lebanon last week.