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The future of diaconal work in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine and aftermath of the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, was discussed this week at the meeting organized by Interdiac, the International Academy for Diakonia and Social Action, Central and Eastern Europe in Český Těšín, Czech Republic.

On 15 September, the Czechoslovak Hussite Church officially celebrated its 100-year anniversary with a service in Prague. The service followed a previous one held on 11 January. The September date is a special one for the church, as 100 years ago on that day, the Czechoslovak Hussite Church achieved official recognition by the state.

Church leaders from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark signed a statement demanding that we take “human responsibility” for refugees on the border between Turkey and Greece.

As the Czechoslovak Hussite Church celebrates its 100 anniversary, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit attended a festive worship service, where he received a “memory medal” from Patriarch Tomás Butta commemorating the occasion.

WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit is visiting Czech Republic this week, joining the Evangelical Church of the Brethren in the celebration of its 100th anniversary, then meeting with leaders from the Czechoslovak Hussite Church.

Pastorin Martina V. Kopecká von der Tschechoslowakischen Hussitischen Kirche vertrat den Ökumenischen Rat der Kirchen auf der in Rom abgehaltenen Bischofssynode (XV. Ordentliche Generalversammlung) zum Thema „Die Jugendlichen, der Glaube und die Erkenntnis der Berufung“.

Rev. Martina V. Kopecká of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church represented the World Council of Churches at a Synod of Bishops (XV Ordinary General Assembly) which met in Rome under the theme “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.”

Nachdem die Tschechische Republik es abgelehnt hat, Mitglieder einer Gruppe von 450 Flüchtlingen aufzunehmen, die nahe der italienischen Mittelmeerküste von einem Fischerboot gerettet wurden, hat der Synodalrat der Evangelischen Kirche der Böhmischen Brüder die tschechische Regierung in einer Erklärung ermutigt, den Flüchtlingen zu helfen.

After the Czech Republic announced it would not accept any refugees from a group of 450 people rescued from a fishing boats in the Mediterranean Sea near the Italian shores, the Synodal Council of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren sent a statement to the government encouraging help for the refugees.

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is visiting Iceland from 12-15 October, invited by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, the WCC and the Arctic Circle. The Ecumenical Patriarch will deliver a keynote speech at the Arctic Circle Assembly under the title Just Peace with Earth on 13 October, then preside over a Divine Liturgy in the Hallgrímskirkja cathedral in Reykjavík and attend an ecumenical service on 15 October.

Czech Television devoted 90 minutes of programming on the afternoon of 6 July 2016 to a liturgical commemoration of national and religious leaders, chief among them the reformers Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague who were executed in 1415 as heretics and are celebrated today as martyrs and champions of faith, intellect and liberty.

Eine Plenarsitzung des ÖRK-Zentralausschusses befasste sich am 27. Juni mit der Frage, wie Religionsgemeinschaften sich für Kinderrechte engagieren können, und diskutierte den ihr vorgelegten Entwurf einer Erklärung mit dem Titel „Grundsätze für kinderfreundliche Kirchen“. Das Dokument soll nun weiter bearbeitet und dem ÖRK-Exekutivausschuss bei seiner nächsten Tagung erneut vorgelegt werden.

A plenary discussion on support by religious communities for the rights of children, and a first draft of the statement of “principles for child-friendly churches,” captured the imagination of the Central Committee of the WCC on 27 June. The document will now undergo further revision and be resubmitted at the next WCC executive committee meeting.

In the Czech Republic, “HateFree” zones have been established as places for a fair approach toward every person — and expressions of solidarity poured forth from the world this week to help these zones stand strong in the face of vandalism.

In a 14 April letter, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed the solidarity of the ecumenical fellowship with the people in Iceland, who have gathered in the streets in this last week to protest taxation that serves the already affluent and powerful.

Im Anschluss an die hochrangige ÖRK/UN-Konferenz über die Flüchtlingskrise in Europa, die am 18. und 19. Januar im Ökumenischen Zentrum in Genf stattgefunden hat, wurde eine Erklärung mit dem Titel „Europas Reaktion auf die Flüchtlings- und Migrantenkrise, von den Ursprungsorten über die Durchgangsstationen bis zur Aufnahme und Zuflucht: ein Aufruf zu gemeinsamer Verantwortung und koordiniertem Handeln“ herausgegeben.

Following the WCC/UN High Level Conference on the Refugee Crisis in Europe, which took place at the Ecumenical Centre Geneva on 18-19 January, a statement has been issued entitled "Europe’s Response to the Refuge Crisis, From Origin to Transit, Reception and Refuge, A Call for Shared Responsibility and Coordinated Action”.

The Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe and the WCC have published a revised and updated edition of their joint study, Mapping Migration: Mapping Churches’ Responses in Europe. The 2016 text explores challenges and changes in the European church landscape in light of international migration.

At Laugarneskirkja — one of the many churches of the Lutheran national church in Iceland — Reza, an Iranian Kurd, is sharing the story of how he came to Iceland more than a year ago.