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The third edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School on Water, Food and Climate Justice will be held 4-17 November 2019 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, hosted by the Christian Conference of Asia. This year, the Eco-School will focus on Asia and therefore only open to Asians. Deadline for applications for WCC Eco-School 2019 for Asia on Water, Food and Climate Justice extended to 31 July 2019.

An international ecumenical consultation held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 20-23 May, gave serious attention to the plight of stateless and trafficked people, and how to better preserve their human rights. The consultation, organized by the Christian Conference of Asia and the World Council of Churches, drew participants from various parts of Asia.

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.

“It is not God’s will that the earth is destroyed. We the creatures, we who are supposed to be stewards of creation, are unjustly self-destructive”, read the sermon of the Rt. Rev. Arnold C. Temple, president of the All Africa Conference of Churches, at the opening service of World Council of Churches (WCC) Lenten Campaign “Seven Weeks for Water”, on 5 March, in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

«Ce n'est pas la volonté de Dieu que la Terre soit détruite. Nous, les créatures, nous qui sommes censés être les intendants de la création, nous rendons injustement coupables d'actes autodestructeurs», a écrit dans sa prédication le pasteur Arnold C. Temple, président de la Conférence des Églises de toute l'Afrique. Un texte prononcé en son absence lors du lancement de la campagne des Sept semaines pour l'eau à Chiang Mai (Thaïlande).

The Christian Conference of Asia gathered over 100 participants representing seven religions including Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish, Bahai, Hindu and Sikh to meet with the participants of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace Reference Group to discuss relevant issues about religion and their implications to the Asian society.

La Conférence chrétienne d’Asie a invité plus de 100 représentants de sept religions – des chrétiens, des bouddhistes, des musulmans, des juifs, des bahaïs, des hindous et des sikhs – à rencontrer les participants du Groupe de référence du Pèlerinage pour la justice et la paix du Conseil œcuménique des Églises (COE), pour discuter de questions relatives à la religion et de leurs implications pour la société asiatique.

“Our churches are directly involved in upholding the dignity and rights of people and communities in Asia irrespective of their religious or faith identities”, said Matthews George Chunakara, general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia, at the opening of the annual meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace Reference Group, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on 4 March.

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).

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.

Que ce soit en tant qu'individus ou en tant que communauté, il est de notre devoir collectif de défendre l'unité des chrétiens, déclare Melanio L. Aoanan. L'éducateur philippin appelle à une vision claire de la formation œcuménique qui soit pertinente au XXIe siècle.

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.

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.

Notant «le contexte de dégradation des droits de la personne et de recrudescence de la violence et de l'impunité» aux Philippines, le Comité central du COE a fait part de son inquiétude et de son indignation, pointant en particulier le rôle du gouvernement dans cette situation.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) joined the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and Responsibility to Protect (UNOGPRtoP) and other partners to host a meeting on Fostering Inclusive Societies in South Asia in Bangkok, Thailand, 29-30 November.

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), on 11-12 July, held an international consultation on “Towards Revitalising the Ecumenical Movement in Asia.” The gathering of 60 church and ecumenical leaders was organised by the CCA at its headquarters in Chiang Mai, Thailand as a prelude to its Diamond Jubilee celebration.

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.

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.