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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.

At the the 57th session of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of Churches on International Affairs in Brisbane, Australia, Bishop Philip Huggins thoughtfully summed up why this year is a crucial one for the planet.

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.

The Protestant Church of South India’s sustainable environmental education initiative has been nominated for the 2019 UNESCO-Japan Prize.

Adv Rajendra Sail, a noted human rights activist and ecumenist from India, passed away on 26 January, at age 72. Sail stood out from the Christian community for his deeper engagements on human rights issues and bold steps in questioning the government on its failures to adhere to the principles of democracy and secular commitment.

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.

Red and smoky skies at night and in the morning* looming in four Australian states indicate a catastrophe of biblical proportions as killer fires engulf towns and communities, leaving tens of thousands of people stranded.

In a pastoral letter to Australian churches, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit acknowledged that the catastrophic fires in many parts of Australia have darkened the horizon in a time when much of the world is celebrating.

More than 40 church leaders and diakonia specialists from 15 Asian countries participated in training in ecumenical diakonia and development organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 4-7 December.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism Theology in Mission Working Group gathered from 28 October to 2 November in Kottayam, India.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) global fellowship expressed its sadness upon the passing of Rev. Dr Augustine G. Jeyakumar, on 31 October in Chennai, India. Jeyakumar was the executive secretary of the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India, director of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, and the treasurer of the National Council of Churches of India.

Rev. Dr P.C. Singh met with World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit on 10 October to discuss the ecumenical movement - today and tomorrow.

His Holiness Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, Supreme Head of the Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church, and Catholicos of the East, met with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia at St Daniel Monastery in Moscow on 3 September.

His Holiness Catholicos Paulose II thanked Patriarch Kirill for the hospitality, stressing that “forty years have elapsed and now we as primates of our Churches can resume the exchange of visits. Your Holiness, your love and insight have helped to make it possible. Once again, thank you for it”.

As more and more people in the Philippines lose their loved ones to extrajudicial killings, and are falsely accused of crimes by the authorities, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is increasing its support and accompaniment of people fighting for human rights in the Philippines.
On 16 September, concerned colleagues and guests gathered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva to attend an event entitled: “Defending the Sanctity of Life and Dignity of Creation: The Human Rights Situation in the Philippines”. The event gave a platform to four different speakers from victim, human rights and church perspectives.

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.

More than 300 environmentalists - among them professors, students, scientists and religious leaders - gathered for the 5th International Eco Conference organized by the Church of South India.

The Obispo Maximo of the Philippine Independent Church, Fr. Rhee Millena Timbang, released a pastoral message on 3 August celebrating the 117th anniversary of the church.

As the National Council of Churches in Australia held its 10th National Forum in late June, more than 65 people gathered in Canberra to participate in a Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace with First Nations people.

“The foundation of a church is based upon the purity of life led by the clergy, their vision, purity, and knowledge and how it is imparted. They should follow and spread Christ’s divine vision amidst the present widespread use of social media,” said His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Paulose II, Supreme Head of the Indian Orthodox Church.

In January 2019, Aya Maasarwe, a university exchange student in Melbourne, was walking home at night and speaking to her sister on her phone. She was attacked, raped and murdered.
The public outcry intensified a national debate about violence against women in Australia following several high-profile murders in the country.