Church leaders in the Philippines gathered in an ecumenical memorial service in Manila on 21 September, the 50th anniversary of the imposition of martial law, to solemnly recall people of faith who were tortured and killed during the brutal regime of president Ferdinand Marcos.
Walk around the streets of New York City and you may notice that there is one dominant color on the fashion palette: black. In this place, one of the world’s fashion capitals, residents want to show they are edgy, hip, and trendy.
An interfaith breakfast held in conjunction with the 77th session of the UN General Assembly brought into focus the urgent need for policymakers to better address key gaps to end inequalities in HIV services for children.
The Center for Peace Church Theology (University of Hamburg, Germany), together with the Mennonite congregation of Hamburg-Altona, will award, on 2 October, the international Menno Simons Preaching Prize to Peter Stucky, pastor of the Mennonite congregation of Teusaquillo in Bogotá (Colombia) and professor emeritus at the Seminario Bíblico Menonita.
Ushered into the venue of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, one finds a sanctuary, a safe space under the canopy of yellow leaves. Under the shade of trees with leaves slowly going through the withering process is the springing of hope for a better world engaged in conversations and dialogues that promote life at its fullness.
As Brazilian artist Janine Marja Schneider pieces together the “Waterfall of Solidarity and Resistance” tapestry, she brings mixed emotions to her endeavors. On one hand, she’s inspired to bring the stories of women from around the world to life on the colorful blocks that cascade downward like liquid. On the other hand, with every stitch, she more deeply absorbs what brings these women together: it’s what they’ve survived.
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.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed great joy over the election Rev. Dr Carmen Lansdowne as the 44th moderator of the United Church of Canada.
I believed Christian unity to be an ideal we strive for, perhaps analogous to the saying "if you shoot for the moon, you'll land in the stars." In the times I have seen Christian Unity manifest, often in times of prayer and most often when hands and feet are moving to answer prayer, it has been fleeting, almost illusory.
Rev. Dr Jeffrey Carter, Church of the Brethren, is president of Bethany Theological Seminary. His reflections below were drawn from an interview after the confessional meeting with historic peace churches and the Moravians that occurred during the recent World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee meeting. Carter is a member of the central committee.
On the anniversary of Juneteenth, remembering the enslavement of African peoples in the United States and their emancipation announced in 1865, leaders from the World Council of Churches (WCC) urged an end to hate speech and to the sin of racism.
As a group of three laureates of the “National Human Rights Award in Colombia” engaged in meetings with diplomats and United Nations representatives in Geneva, a tray lunch event was organized on 8 June at the Ecumenical Centre by the World Council of Churches and ACT Alliance to offer the delegation the opportunity to share about the deterioration of the peace process in the country and the importance of international solidarity.
A 25 May webinar explored the theme “Two years after George Floyd’s death: Antiracism, #BLM and the United Nations.” As people continue to challenge the systemic racism that has devalued the lives of Black and Brown people globally, many are asking the question: how much progress have we seen in the last two years? why do some of these tragic events spark a stronger call for change than others?
World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof Dr Ioan Sauca, in a letter to the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, expressed grief about the ongoing gun violence in that nation.
World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca extended condolences to the loved ones and to all those mourning the loss of those gunned down in a grocery store in Buffalo last weekend and a McDonald’s in Chicago this week.
On the International Day of Living Together in Peace declared by the United Nations, members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) fellowship from countries troubled by war and conflict gathered to pray for sustainable peace in the world.
In the wake of a shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca extended condolences to the families and church members affected by the violence.
At the recently concluded World Social Forum in Mexico City, a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) reflected on ecological justice by addressing the nexus between water, food and climate change.
On 29 April, general consul of Bolivia in Switzerland Efraín Chambi Copa visited the World Council of Churches (WCC), meeting with WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca and Rev. Dr Odair Pedroso Mateus, interim deputy general secretary and director of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order.
In a recent visit to the United States, a group of four laureates of the “National Human Rights Award in Colombia” engaged in meetings in Washington and New York City with government officials, diplomats, and United Nations (UN) representatives. They spoke of the deterioration of the peace process in the country and the importance of international solidarity.