Churches in the southern hemisphere will observe the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on 21-28 May, the week between Ascension and Pentecost. This year’s theme is “Do good; seek justice (Isaiah 1:17).”
An online meeting planned for 25 May, titled “Exploring the nexus between racism, xenophobia and the AfCTA, and AU free movement protocol,” will mark Africa Day.
On 17 May 2023 in Moscow, a WCC delegation consisting of general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, director for International Affairs Mr Peter Prove, and programme executive for Ecumenical Relations and Faith and Order Dr Vasile-Octavian Mihoc met with His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The upcoming Barbados Gospelfest, set for 21-28 May, will express churches’ affirmation and celebration of persons with disabilities in musical and other creative ways.
Prof. Dr Michel E. Abs, secretary general of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), reflects on how challenging daily lives can be in the Middle East, response to the earthquake in Syria and Türkiye, and plans to commemorate 50 years of the MECC.
The fifth edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School on Water, Food, and Climate Justice, will be held 24-31 July in Crete, Greece. Convening in-person in the Orthodox Academy of Crete, Greece, the event is open to young people under 30 years of age from the Europe and North America region only.
A panel session on “Integrity Leadership: Towards Mutual Accountability and Transparency” was held 2 May as part of the Christian Conference of Asia’s Asian Church and Ecumenical Leaders’ Conference.
Pastor Joachim Leberecht, from Herzogenrath/Germany, has won the international Menno Simons Sermon Award from the Center for Peace Church Theology (University of Hamburg) together with the Mennonite congregation Hamburg-Altona.
There is an old Lutheran adage that to be Lutheran is to be ecumenical, so the theme of the upcoming Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) taking place in Poland, "One Body, One Spirit, One Hope,” is seen as totally appropriate for the times.
Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen, general secretary of the Conference of European Churches, reflects on hopes for the upcoming assembly Tallinn in June, as well as on the role churches play amid the conflict in Ukraine.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed grave concern about the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, and urged an end to hostilities.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) hosted the 11th Ecumenical Global Health Partners Meeting on 26 April. The online meeting gave WCC and its partners an opportunity to share strategic directions on health and healing programmes for the period 2023-2030.
Rev. Dr Fidon Mwombeki, general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, reflects below on the biggest challenges facing churches in Africa, and hopes for the future.
TheMiddle East Council of Churchesannounced that the 22 April each year—the day of the kidnapping of the two Archbishops of Aleppo, Metropolitan Boulos Yaziji and Metropolitan Gregorios Youhanna Ibrahim— will be named “The Ecumenical Day for the Abducted and the Forcibly Absented.”
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay visits Sri Lanka on 24-25 April, meeting with the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka, heads of churches, theologians, and government officials to discuss their deep contribution to the ecumenical movement.
Participating in a Ökumenetag (ecumenical day) in Karlsruhe, Germany, on 22 April, former World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Fr Ioan Sauca reflected back on the WCC 11th Assembly, and expressed deep gratitude to the host churches.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay is attending the 29th General Assembly of the National Council of Churches in India from 21-24 April at the Henry Martyn Institute, in Hyderabad, India.
The leaders of regional ecumenical organizations met on 19-20 April at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey to consult and collaborate with each other and with the World Council of Churches (WCC).