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A World Council of Churches (WCC) Easter Initiative will lift up the call to roll away the heavy stone of violence, war and occupation, pain and suffering, and to remind the world of what is needed to bring about peace, to transform swords into ploughshares.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed solidarity with the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, who, in a 1 March statement, condemned an attack against civilians that occurred while residents of Gaza gathered for food aid.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) contributed insights at side events of the World Social Forum titled “Debt Crisis, Food Sovereignty, and Climate Change,” and “Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, Agro-Ecology Energy, and Natural Resources.”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Jerusalem Liaison Office Advisory Group convened on 20 February under the leadership of WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay. 

Israeli president Isaac Herzog formally received World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay on 20 February, to discuss the current situation in Israel and Palestine, and the war in Gaza. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay and delegation met with Sheikh Azzam Khatib, director of Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem on 18 February, reiterating the WCC’s commitment to maintaining Jerusalem as a city of all three Abrahamic religions. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay met with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, West Bank, on 19 February, urging an end to the “seemingly endless cycle of violence and suffering.” 

Member churches, religious leaders and local Christian groups in Palestine and Israel—as well as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli president Isaac Herzog—will meet with World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay as he visits the area beginning 16 February. 

At the World Social Forum 2024, taking place 15-19 February in Nepal, the World Council of Churches (WCC) will have an active role in this platform for the convergence of a diverse range of participants, including social movements, laborers, farmers, civil society groups, marginalized communities, and those affected by the impacts of neoliberal capitalism and privatization. 

On the 2024 International Day of Human Fraternity, observed 5 February, special events—including the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity—focused on bridging divides and promoting a culture of peace. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay returned to Geneva from Indonesia with expressions of gratitude to the churches and communities who hosted him. 

As the World Council of Churches Commission on Faith and Order convened in North Sulawesi, Indonesia from 1-8 February, the gathering was underscored with hope at the heart of a Christian message to the world. 

Speaking to the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order during the commission’s historic meeting in Indonesia, WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed gratitude for the commission’s work, and hope for the ecumenical journey in 2025.

Speaking before religious leaders, pastors, and students in Indonesia, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected on “The Kingdom of God and the Role of the Pastor Today.”

Six ecumenical accompaniers have returned to Palestine and Israel, resuming in-person operations for the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. Ecumenical accompaniers, who were evacuated beginning of October 2023, had been continuing their support and accompaniment online. 

As World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay began his visit to Indonesia, he greeted church leaders and communities with warm words. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay will visit Indonesia, where he will speak at the Persekutuan Gereja-gereja di Indonesia (Communion of Churches in Indonesia) annual meeting, as well as visit member churches and government leaders.