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World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed great concern in the wake of a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck the northern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines on 27 July.

As the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca congratulated them and expressed solidarity with their ongoing fight for justice and peace.

Nach der Verleihung des Friedensnobelpreises an die Journalistin Maria Ressa und ihren Kollegen Dmitri Muratow gratulierte ihnen der geschäftsführende Generalsekretär des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen (ÖRK), Priester Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca, zu dieser Würdigung und erklärte sich solidarisch mit ihrem anhaltenden Kampf für Gerechtigkeit und Frieden.

As a report on human rights abuses in the Philippines was delivered to the UN by the global group Investigate PH, churches and human rights groups reiterated their concerns over propagation of a culture that allows the abuse to happen.

In a message of solidarity to the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), World Council of Churches (WCC) interim general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed concern that the human rights situation in the Philippines continues to deteriorate.

Rev. Fr Dr Lawrence Iwuamadi is dean of the Ecumenical Institute, the graduate school which opened its academic year this week. Below, Iwuamadi reflects on the arrival of new students at the Ecumenical Institute during this remarkable time.

Fourteen church leaders and activists from Canada, India, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States, embarked on a Pilgrim Team Visit to the Philippines from 9-13 August. They listened, learned and bore witness to the escalating human rights crisis in the country. The visit was convened by the World Council of Churches in partnership with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines.

Der Ökumenische Rat der Kirchen (ÖRK) hat das Massaker an 14 Bäuerinnen und Bauern durch die Polizei in der Stadt Canlaon und den Gemeinden Manjuyod und Santa Catalina in der Provinz Negros Oriental auf den Philippinen Anfang dieses Monats verurteilt. Zudem hat der ÖRK auch seinen Aufruf an die Regierung der Philippinen wiederholt, der Kultur der Straflosigkeit ein Ende zu bereiten, eine umfassende Untersuchung derartiger Tötungen sicherzustellen und die Verantwortlichen zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) condemned the massacre earlier this month of 14 farmers by police officers in Canlaon City, as well as Manjuyod and Santa Catalina towns in Negros Oriental in the Philippines. The WCC also renewed its call for the government of the Philippines to end the culture of impunity and to ensure full investigation and accountability for all such killings.

Pilgrims coming from Germany, Italy and Norway ended their journeys for climate justice on 7 December upon arrival at the St Stephen’s Church in Katowice, Poland, where the United Nations (UN) climate conference is underway. They were warmly welcomed by the delegations of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) that are attending the 24th Conference of Parties of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24).

Each year students from all over the world arrive at Bossey near Geneva for a three-month language training course to pave their way for ecumenical studies that follow on straight after. “The title captures the goal of the course,” says Father Lawrence Iwuamadi, the Nigerian priest who studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and is academic dean of the Ecumenical Institute.

Ob als einzelne Gläubige oder als Gemeinschaft: Es ist unsere gemeinsame Aufgabe, uns für die Einheit der Christen einzusetzen, sagt Melanio L. Aoanan. Der philippinische Ausbilder ruft zu einer klaren Vision für die ökumenische Ausbildung auf, die auf das 21. Jahrhundert zugeschnitten ist.

Whether as individual believers or as a community, it is our collective task to advocate for Christian unity, says Melanio L. Aoanan from the Philippines. A clear vision for religious and ecumenical theological education is needed that is relevant in the 21st century.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) joined the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church (UMC) as well as United Methodist bishops in the Philippines in appealing to the government of the Philippines for assistance and cooperation in extracting three United Methodist mission personnel from the country.

Mit Blick auf die „sich verschlechternde Menschenrechtssituation und [die zunehmende] Gewalt und Straffreiheit auf den Philippinen“ hat der ÖRK-Zentralausschuss seine große Besorgnis und Entrüstung angesichts der Lage in dem Land zum Ausdruck gebracht und dabei insbesondere auf die Rolle der Regierung verwiesen.

Noting “the worsening human rights situation and increasing violence and impunity” in the Philippines, WCC’s central committee has expressed its alarm and outrage, pointing particularly to the role of the government there.

It is time to revitalize the Asian ecumenical movement to respond to contemporary realities in Asia, according to Mathews George Chunakara, general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia, in the article that opens the latest issue of The Ecumenical Review, the quarterly journal of the WCC.

After six intensive days, offering plenty of food for thought, the Asia Mission Conference (AMC) in Yangon, Myanmar, came to an end with a sending out and closing session last Monday. With around 600 participants from all over the world – double from what was originally expected – the need to discuss, learn about and elaborate around mission was clearly affirmed.

For Prof. Dr. Mathew Chandrankunnel, the Asia Mission Conference is a big celebration of ecumenism, with churches from Asia and all over the world coming together expressing the call of Jesus. As director of the Ecumenical Christian Centre in Bangalore, India, he appreciates the initiative to bring member churches, faith organizations and partners together to revive mission.