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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.

Pacific islands experience lasting impacts of the 50 years of nuclear testing and the region has become a global hotspot of climate change, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) learned in its meeting this week in Brisbane, Australia.

Alors qu’elle se réunit cette semaine à Brisbane, en Australie, la Commission des Églises pour les affaires internationales du Conseil œcuménique des Églises (COE) a été informée des conséquences durables pour les îles du Pacifique des cinquante années d’essais nucléaires dans la région, devenue l’une des zones du monde les plus sensibles aux changements climatiques.

Impacts of the climate change and the lingering health and environmental effects of nuclear testing on the countries in the Pacific region are among the issues to be discussed at the meeting of the WCC’s Commission of Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), convened from 19 to 21 February in Brisbane, Australia.

Les conséquences des changements climatiques et les effets prolongés des essais nucléaires sur la santé et l’environnement des pays de la région Pacifique font partie des sujets abordés lors de la réunion de la Commission des Églises pour les affaires internationales (CEAI) qui se tient du 19 au 21 février à Brisbane, en Australie.

A couple of days of light rain brought some relief to those resisting killer bushfires across southeastern Australia. Still, firefighters, residents and other responders were bracing themselves and preparing for more mayhem.

Les quelques jours de faible pluie ont apporté un peu de soulagement à celles et ceux qui luttent contre les feux de brousse meurtriers dans tout le sud-est de l’Australie. Cela n’empêche pas les pompiers, résident-e-s et autres intervenant-e-s de continuer à rassembler leurs forces et à se préparer à de nouveaux ravages.

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.

Le Conseil œcuménique des Églises (COE) a condamné le massacre de 14 fermiers commis par des agents de police début avril à Canlaon, Manjuyod et Santa Catalina, trois villes de la province du Negros Oriental, aux Philippines. Le COE a également réitéré l’appel qu’il avait lancé au gouvernement des Philippines pour faire cesser la culture d’impunité et garantir que ces assassinats fassent l’objet d’enquêtes en bonne et due forme à l’issue desquelles les auteurs des faits seront traduits en justice.

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).

Dr Erlinda N. Senturias, from the Philippines, gives thanks that WCC has created safe spaces for the churches to talk about HIV and AIDS. She asks that the ecumenical movement continue to be a beacon of support for this ongoing journey of health and healing.

Mme Erlinda N. Senturias, des Philippines, exprime sa gratitude que le COE ait créé des espaces sûrs permettant aux Églises de parler du VIH et du sida. Elle espère que le mouvement œcuménique restera une lueur de soutien sur le chemin continu vers la santé et à la guérison.

Athena Peralta is dedicated to observing and encouraging people who are defending their livelihood and defending creation across the world. “There is so much injustice in this world that it is really something beautiful to learn about and be able to accompany, even in tiny ways, struggles of communities and churches,” she said.

Four short videos sharing challenges and examples of how churches and church leaders can make a profound difference in global efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat are now available for individual inspiration and group discussion.

Thirty-five years into the response to HIV and AIDS, it remains a disease that not only thrives on, but exploits the lines of exclusion and inequality in society. In the Philippines, where there has been an alarming increase in people testing positive for HIV, the country’s National Council of Churches recognized that more than words were needed. While dialogue and debate were important, they needed to translate into action, given the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor in Filipino society, and a faith-based and societal milieu still dominated by a sex-negative theology.

Churches are engaged at the grassroots level throughout the world in the response to HIV and AIDS, but the struggle against the disease and those stigmatized for being HIV positive needs to continue, say church leaders.

As participants in a workshop on HIV offered their personal reflections, they shared how their hearts have been deepened and changed by a dialogue facilitated by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP).

“I came here to know the difference between HIV and AIDS, and to distinguish the role of women, especially women pastors, in educating, empowering, and enlightening people in her flock about their view on HIV,” said Rev. Mary Ann Kadile, a pastor from the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. She traveled from Mindanao to San Pablo City, Laguna to participate in a workshop on HIV led by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines.