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WCC extends prayers for lasting peace in Haiti

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay sent a pastoral letter to Haitian brothers and sisters whose lives are lived in a land with hatred, violence, and suffering. Although we might be physically distant, we are close to you in heart, in the spiritual sense,” wrote Pillay. We all are children of God. We belong to one family, as Jesus Christ himself said.”

WCC general secretary met with Cuban president

In a visit to Cuba from 17-19 December, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay met with Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel at the Palacio de las Convenciones in Havana. I was deeply impressed with our heart-to-heart meeting with the president of Cuba,” expressed Pillay.

Women’s wellness and mental health as part of the mission of the church – a wounded healer’s balm

I received a call from a friend of mine - we both work as medical doctors and had earlier realised that our husbands, who are ministers in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, had been friends for years —this is one of the reasons that drew us to each other.  She had been attending the February meeting of the Methodist Womens Prayer and Service Union (Manyano), Connexional Extended Executive Meeting. My friend said that the general president, Gretta Makhwenkwe, had appointed us to the Wellness Committee.

Pastor Frank Chikane: „Einheit lässt sich nicht auf Kosten der Gerechtigkeit erreichen“

Als Pastor Frank Chikane als Generalsekretär den Südafrikanischen Kirchenrat leitete und das Apartheidsystem wegen seiner Ungerechtigkeiten anklagte, führte er seine Mission unbeirrt fort, auch nachdem das Büro des Gebäudes nach einem Bombenanschlag völlig zerstört war. Pastor Chikane ist seit 2016 Vorsitzender der Kommission der Kirchen für internationale Angelegenheiten des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen (ÖRK) und engagiert sich für den Kampf gegen Ungerechtigkeiten in zahlreichen Ländern der Welt. Die ÖRK-Kommunikationsabteilung hat Pastor Chikane darum gebeten, auf seine bisherige Arbeit innerhalb der Kommission zurückzublicken und über die fortwährende Berufung der Kirchen zu sprechen, ein Zeichen gegen die Ungerechtigkeiten in der Welt von heute zu setzen.

Rev. Frank Chikane: “You can’t do unity at the expense of justice”

When Rev. Frank Chikane was leading the South African Council of Churches in calling out injustices of the apartheid system, their work did not stop even after the council’s office building was bombed to the ground in 1980s. Moderating the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches (WCC) since 2016, Rev. Chikane has been engaged in addressing injustices in many parts of the world. WCC Communication asked Rev. Chikane to look back at his term at the commission and the ongoing calling of churches to address injustices in the world today.

Desmond Tutu turns 90 with an outpouring of love from the world

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, one of South Africa's most famous persons, has turned 90 with a Eucharist service celebration at Cape Town's St George's Cathedral, receiving an outpouring of love from around the world. Tutu made a rare public appearance on 7 October at the iconic Cape Town cathedral, the site of prayers and protests during the apartheid era, where he attended a special thanksgiving service.