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Shortly after Sea-Watch saw a legal victory in being allowed to rescue stranded migrants, the moderator of the Waldensian board expressed thanks and vowed to press forward in welcoming so-called strangers.

In an opening address at a Forum on Modern Slavery in Istanbul on 7 January, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew spoke on “Awareness, Action and Impact.” After many centuries of progress and advancement, we still live in a world where injustice and slavery continue to thrive, and where human dignity is exchanged for the sole purpose of greed, gain, and profit, reflected Bartholomew.

Dealing with people on the move is crucial to the work of the Church in the 21st century says Greek Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia and Filadelfia. More than 31,000 irregular migrants arrived in Greece by sea in 2018 and almost 17,000 arrived by land, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit sent greetings to hundreds of young people from the Taize community as they gathered in Madrid from 28 December to 1 January to reflect on the theme “Let Us Not Forget Hospitality!”

The Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (FCEI) and others involved in support for migrants on land, at sea and in the skies are strengthening their collaboration.

The humanitarian corridors programme, an ecumenical project developed by the FCEI’s Mediterranean Hope team with the Comunità di Sant’Egidio in 2015 is now in its second phase.

On 14-16 December, the Conference of European Churches and Cumberland Lodge in the UK will host an Ecumenical Conference on Human Rights with the theme “Towards Peaceful Coexistence in the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities.”

The World Association for Christian Communication – Europe Region (WACC Europe) is embarking on a one-year project to identify and promote strategies to counter online hate speech focused on refugees and migrants.

Führende Kirchenvertreter/innen aus Europa stehen gemeinsam für einen Umgang mit Flüchtlingen und Migrierenden ein, der auf Werten wie „Würde, Respekt und möglichst auch Mitgefühl beruht.“ Dies ist der Abschluss einer festlichen Veranstaltung, auf der die Führungspersönlichkeiten der Kirchenkommission für Migranten in Europa (KKME) und die Konferenz Europäischer Kirchen (KEK) am Montag, 3. Dezember der 1. Vizepräsidentin des Europäischen Parlaments, Mairead McGuinness, eine Weihnachtbotschaft von Kirchenleitenden in Europa überreichen.

Church leaders in Europe stand together for an approach on refugees and migrants “based on dignity, respect, and where possible compassion”. This is the conclusion of a festive ceremony in which the leaders of the Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) handed over on 4th December a European Church leaders Christmas statement to the European Parliament’s 1st Vice President Mairead McGuinness.

Peace education to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between people involving the religious and secular sectors is needed to counter uncertainty fed by radicalization and xenophobia, says a leading human rights advocate.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved on 14 November the formal statement, “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love,” a pastoral letter against racism.

In an address to the general assembly of Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy in Rome on 16 November, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed gratitude for those who help refugees and migrants. At the same time, Tveit mourned the nearly 2,000 people who have died or are missing while trying to make the journey to reach the Mediterranean in the first ten months of 2018.

“I didn’t have any document that says who I am, so I started to look for answers that would help me to understand the real definition of my condition as a stateless person”, said Maha Mamo in a video interview published by World Council of Churches communications.

At the 28th FilmFestival Cottbus - Festival of East European Cinema, held 6-11 November, the film “Ayka” won an Interfilm award for giving a face to the faceless and helping the audience discover the sufferings of the marginalized.

Auch 50 Jahre nachdem sich die Vollversammlung des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen in Uppsala entschlossen zum öffentlichen Engagement für wichtige Themen bekannte, ist der ÖRK nach wie vor bestrebt, Themen von öffentlichem Interesse offen anzusprechen und sich für das Gemeinwohl einzusetzen.

Fifty years after its assembly in Uppsala, Sweden, decisively turned to public engagement, the WCC still seeks to engage and address issues of public concern and the common good.

Der ÖRK hat die Arbeit und das Engagement der Kirchen weltweit gelobt, die Migrierende und Geflüchtete empfangen und willkommen heißen und sie unterstützen, und hat die internationale Gemeinschaft vor rassistischen und ausländerfeindlichen politischen Reaktionen gewarnt.

The WCC has commended the work of churches around the world that welcome and support migrants and refugees, even as it has warned the international community against racist or xenophobic political responses.

In seiner Predigt in der Kathedrale von Uppsala in Schweden am 4. November erinnerte Pastor Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, Generalsekretär des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen (ÖRK) daran, dass am 4. Juli 1968 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in ebendieser Kirche im Rahmen des Eröffnungsgottesdienstes der 4. ÖRK-Vollversammlung hätte predigen sollen.

In a sermon in the Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden on 4 November, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit remembered that, on 4 July 1968, Dr Martin Luther King Jr. should have entered the very same cathedral to preach at the opening service of the WCC Fourth Assembly.