Search results

Madeline, 14, and sister Sabrine, 16, are both paralyzed in their legs. “They were paralyzed by shock. Something happened to their nervous system”, says father Mohammad. The family was caught in the crossfire in Daraa, in southern Syria. Son Louay, 3, was killed by a bomb. That’s when they decided to flee. Bombs were constantly falling during their flight.

Der IS griff um vier Uhr morgens an. Im kleinen Dorf Tel Hermes waren nur noch Männer verblieben, um zu versuchen, das Dorf zu verteidigen. Auch die älteren Menschen waren noch da. Sie alle wurden jetzt im Schlafanzug vom IS hinausgezerrt. Von etwa 30 Männern wurde die Hälfte getötet. Einer von ihnen war der Elektriker Fouad Younan.

IS attacked at four in the morning. In the small village of Tel Hermes, only men stayed behind to try to defend it. The elderly had also stayed behind. Now IS dragged everyone out in their pyjamas. Of around 30 men, half were killed. One of them was electrician Fouad Younan.

Vom 6. bis 13. Oktober hielt der ÖRK eine inter-orthodoxe Konsultation auf Zypern ab, um über das Dokument „Die Kirche: Auf dem Weg zu einer gemeinsamen Vision“ zu diskutieren – ein Konvergenztext, der von der ÖRK-Kommission für Glauben und Kirchenverfassung vorgelegt worden war.

The WCC convened an inter-Orthodox consultation in Cyprus on 6-13 October to respond to the text “The Church: Towards a Common Vision,” a convergence document presented by the WCC Faith and Order Commission.

Der ÖRK-Zentralausschuss hat auf seiner Sitzung in Trondheim, Norwegen einen neuen Exekutivausschuss mit 11 neuen Mitgliedern gewählt

The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), at its meeting in Trondheim, Norway, 27 June 2016, has elected a new executive committee with 11 new members.

Forty years after the Soweto uprising, leaders of churches in conflict-torn countries gathered in South Africa to study the ways of peace and reconciliation.

With a background in international conflict resolution, peace-building and reconciliation, Professor Emily Welty is uniquely suited to her role as acting moderator of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the WCC. She facilitated the commission’s work most recently during its annual meeting in Geneva from 7 through 14 March.

Wenn Stephen Sidorak von seinem „Pilgerweg der Gerechtigkeit und des Friedens nach Japan - Fragen von Leben und Tod“ spricht, werden Leidenschaft, Engagement und Trauer sowie das Sehnen spürbar, dass Atomwaffen nie wieder zum Einsatz kommen dürfen.

When Stephen Sidorak speaks about “A Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace to Japan on a Matter of Life and Death” his voice rings with passion, commitment and regret along with a yearning that nuclear weapons must never be used in anger again.

„Die europäischen Länder sind heute mit Tausenden von Menschen konfrontiert, die aus Syrien und anderen vom Krieg verwüsteten Regionen in Länder geflüchtet sind, über die sie meistens nur sehr wenig wissen. Die Aufnahme solcher Menschenmengen stellt uns vor enorme Herausforderungen. Wie wir mit der Flüchtlingskrise umgehen, und nicht zuletzt auch mit dem Eingliederungs- und Integrationsprozess, wird von größter Bedeutung sowohl für unsere zukünftige Einstellung gegenüber Flüchtlingen und Asylsuchenden als auch für die langfristige Stabilität und Überlebensfähigkeit unserer eigenen Gesellschaften sein“, sagte Knut Vollebaek, Botschafter und früherer norwegischer Außenminister während seiner Rede auf der Genfer ÖRK-UN-Konferenz über die Flüchtlingskrise am 18. und 19. Januar.

“The way we handle the refugee crisis, not least the settling in and integration process, will be of utmost significance, both for the attitude towards refugees and asylum seekers in the future, and for the long-term stability and sustainability of our own societies”, said Knut Vollebaek, ambassador and former Norwegian foreign minister, in his speech at the recent WCC/UN conference on Europe’s refugee crisis.

To promote open discussions on the theological and practical discourse, narrative and experiences on implications for the work of the multi-religious organizations on religion, violence and extremism, the WCC, along with the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church and the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists held a Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in International Affairs.

Following the recent nuclear test conducted by North Korea, the WCC is calling on all parties involved in the current situation on the Korean peninsula – especially South Korea, North Korea, the USA, Japan and China – to “invest in initiatives to reduce tensions, to promote dialogue and to encourage negotiations for an end to the suspended state of war, and for peaceful co-existence on the Korean peninsula, rather than measures that increase the risk of catastrophic conflict“, according to WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.

In einer offiziellen Erklärung brachte der ÖRK am 12. Oktober seine tiefe Besorgnis angesichts der dramatischen Eskalation des Konflikts in Syrien zum Ausdruck.

In an official statement issued on 12 October, the WCC has expressed grave concern over the dramatic escalation of the conflict in Syria.

Reduction in and prevention of statelessness, and the protection of stateless people in the Middle East provided the focus of a workshop organized by the WCC and the Middle East Council of Churches in Beirut, Lebanon.

In the wake of recent crisis with the refugees in Europe, it is “absolutely and critically necessary that all European states take their proper responsibility in terms of reception and support for people seeking refuge, safety and a better future for themselves and their families. This cannot be left only to the states where they enter first,” says the WCC general secretary.

The re-opening of the Church of Panagia (Virgin Mary) Galakdodrofousas in Palekythro, Cyprus, after 41 years was hailed by the WCC as an important sign of peace and reconciliation.