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Pope Francis and Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt have taken a significant ecumenical step by signing a common declaration that Roman Catholics and Copts may recognize each other’s baptisms. The agreement is, in the eyes of the World Council of Churches (WCC), a “sign of hope”.

The fifteenth of March 2017, marks the sixth year since the start of the Syrian war.
Lebanon, being a small Middle Eastern country facing constant political and national unity challenges with a population of approximately 450,000 Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, has been the shelter for more than 2 million registered Syrian refugees since 2011.

How can the early founding fathers of the church inform us as Christians in the 21st century, what stands at the centre of their theology, and how can we continue to envision a future of unity in the church? The questions were numerous as scholars, students and theologians met at the Anaphora Institute near Cairo, Egypt, to explore the theme of “Saint Irenaeus and Enlightened Humanity” on 14-16 December.

Vom 6. bis 13. Oktober hielt der ÖRK eine inter-orthodoxe Konsultation auf Zypern ab, um über das Dokument „Die Kirche: Auf dem Weg zu einer gemeinsamen Vision“ zu diskutieren – ein Konvergenztext, der von der ÖRK-Kommission für Glauben und Kirchenverfassung vorgelegt worden war.

The WCC convened an inter-Orthodox consultation in Cyprus on 6-13 October to respond to the text “The Church: Towards a Common Vision,” a convergence document presented by the WCC Faith and Order Commission.

The latest edition of the quarterly WCC journal features a discussion of the roots of religion and violence in the Middle East. Five presentations drawn from three WCC-sponsored conferences of recent years explore aspects of the religious concepts of “promised land,” the “theology of land” and how to go about “reading the Hebrew Bible in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

Ermutigung, Inspiration und Erfahrungsaustausch prägten die Plenarsitzung, die sich mit dem vom ÖRK initiierten Pilgerweg der Gerechtigkeit und des Friedens befasste.

Encouragement, inspiration and storytelling animated the plenary discussion of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace.

Sitting in a tent at the Souda camp, on the island of Chios in Greece, a Pakistani family of 12 recalls the lives they had in their home country. They had everything except safety. Muhammed and his wife, Asia, along with their 10 children, fled their home country in search of a place where they weren’t constantly fearing for their lives.

During the 29 years Virgine Nasrawi has worked in the Talbiah refugee camp, located 40 kilometers south of Amman, the Jordanian capital, she has witnessed many changes. And the sudden influx of refugees from neighbouring Syria, caused by the devastating civil war in that country, is the most dramatic.

Die Kommission der Kirchen für Migranten in Europa, die Konferenz Europäischer Kirchen und der Ökumenische Rat der Kirchen haben in einem Schreiben die Mitgliedskirchen und die Partnerorganisationen in Europa nachdrücklich dazu aufgefordert, sich bei ihren nationalen Regierungen und Parlamenten in den nächsten Wochen für mehr organisierte Umsiedlungen von Flüchtlingen einzusetzen.

The Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe, Conference of European Churches and World Council of Churches sent a letter to member churches and partner organizations in Europe urging them to undertake increased advocacy for more refugee resettlement with their national governments and parliaments in the next weeks.

David Bradwell of Scottish Faiths Action for Refugees has been on a mission for the past six months trying to raise awareness on what individuals and churches can do to help those fleeing conflicts and wars.

Negotiations should end the conflict and bring political transition in Syria, urged the World Council of Churches and Pax Christi International in a joint statement issued 15 March.

The World Council of Churches announced its support of a joint appeal for humanitarian access in Syria initiated by the Norwegian Refugee Council and UNICEF, and signed by dozens of humanitarian agencies worldwide.

„Sie sind hier mit ihren wenigen Habseligkeiten in Italien gelandet, voller Angst, aber auch voller Hoffnung“, berichtet Dr. Paolo Naso und beobachtet am 29. Februar, wie 93 syrische Immigranten und Immigrantinnen, davon 41 Kinder, aus dem soeben aus Beirut kommenden Flugzeug steigen.

“They have arrived with their few belongings, full of fear and hope,” observes Dr Paolo Naso, as he watches 93 Syrian immigrants — 41 of them children — step off a plane that came from Beirut on 29 February.

Wenn sich Fernando Enns mit dem Thema Wasser im deutschen Kontext beschäftigt, muss er an die Abertausenden von Flüchtlingen denken, die vor dem Krieg in Syrien nach Deutschland geflohen sind.

When Fernando Enns thinks of water in a German context, he is reminded of thousands and thousands of refugees who have come to the country fleeing the conflict in Syria.

„Wir sollten aus unseren Fehlern lernen und offenlegen, welche Systeme nicht gut funktionieren“, urteilte Pauliina Parhiala, Direktorin und Geschäftsführerin des ACT-Bündnisses, einer Koalition von 137 Kirchen und glaubensgestützten Organisationen, die international humanitäre Hilfe, Advocacy und Entwicklungsarbeit leisten.