Search results

A webinar entitled “Reflections on recent developments in the USA and their significance for interreligious relations,” held 9 February, brought together more than 20 advisers in interreligious relations from various World Council of Churches (WCC) member churches from across the globe.

In a campaign called simply “United Methodists Stand Against Racism,” the United Methodist Church is offering an array of worship opportunities, prayer gatherings, practical suggestions and other resources.

“We recognize racism as a sin,” reads a statement introducing the campaign. “We commit to challenging unjust systems of power and access.”

The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians published a statement entitled “Mama, Mama…I Can’t Breathe!” that expresses heartbreak over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a policeman.

“Floyd pleaded for his life to no avail until he finally succumbed to death,” reads the statement. “The community has been pleading, ‘Black Lives Matter.’ ”

Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, a retired United Methodist bishop from the USA, has spent her career voicing the need for a church that includes all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. And, throughout her career, she’s never been afraid to say that out loud.

On 28 June, a World Council of Churches (WCC) intergenerational climate justice project was awarded the Keeling Curve Prize, a recognition for initiatives that offer solutions to reduce global warming. The WCC project supports adolescents engaging in climate justice through church-run schools, Sunday schools, and summer camps. The project stems from Churches’ Commitments to Children, a partnership between the WCC and UNICEF.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has released “A 60-Day Journey Toward Justice in a Culture of Gun Violence,” a collection of daily observances that call people to face the painful truth of gun violence and work for its prevention.

Respect for the other lies at the heart of peace education and was a key thread through a debate entitled “Education for Peace in a multi-religious world”. It was held on the 2018 World Human Rights Day at the United Nations Office in Geneva.

As a result of a consultation on 9-10 November in Washington, D.C., Pan African Women of Faith have released a Call to Action toward a vision of sustainable communities and an end to hunger and poverty.

Hundreds of people gathered, then hundreds more, the crowd growing and marching in silence to the beat of a drum as dawn broke on 4 April, 50 years to the day since Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dr Ulysses Burley III is serving as a WCC delegate to the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York City (CSW62), being held 12-23 March. Dr Burley, from Chicago, is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He currently serves on the WCC-Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance HIV Access to Treatment Working Group.

Speaking at a reception hosted by UNICEF on 22 January, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit offered an ecumenical vision on migration, inclusion and justice.

En su intervención durante la recepción ofrecida por UNICEF el 22 de enero, el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias, el Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit ofreció una visión ecuménica sobre la migración, inclusión y justicia.

At a meeting on 19 January, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) pledged to not only deepen their existing collaboration but also explore even more joint projects to protect and provide for children.

En una reunión el 19 de enero, el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) y el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (UNICEF), no solamente se comprometieron a profundizar su colaboración existente sino también explorar la posibilidad de más proyectos conjuntos para proteger y atender las necesidades de los niños.

Bishop Mary Ann Swenson has a unique position in observing and advocating for women’s rights or, as she would quickly clarify, “the fair treatment of human beings” no matter what their gender. As bishop-in-residence at the Hollywood United Methodist Church, she ministers to church members who were not only present at this week’s Golden Globe Awards – they were the nominees. And, as vice-moderator of the WCC Central Committee, she is part of a global parish, traveling to communities far removed from the privilege of Hollywood, where violence occurs against women who are seen by their own communities as having no voice and no rights.

La obispa Mary Ann Swenson se encuentra en una posición única como observadora y defensora de los derechos de las mujeres o, como ella se apresuraría a aclarar, “del trato justo de los seres humanos”, sea cual sea su género. Como obispa residente de la Iglesia Metodista Unida de Hollywood, California (Estados Unidos de América), es pastora de miembros de la iglesia que, no solo estaban en la gala de los Globos de Oro, sino que estaban nominados a los premios. Y paralelamente, como vicemoderadora del Comité Central del CMI, la obispa Swenson es parte de una parroquia mundial, que viaja a comunidades muy alejadas de los privilegios de Hollywood, donde las mujeres son víctimas de la violencia y viven en comunidades donde se considera que ellas no tienen voz ni derechos.

At a “Hearing on Racism, Discrimination, Afrophobia and Xenophobia” held at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva on 25 September, speakers reflected, lamented and, at times, simply sat in silence as they considered the experience of people of African descent in the USA.

En una “Reunión de información y debate sobre el racismo, la discriminación, la afrofobia y la xenofobia” celebrada en el Centro Ecuménico de Ginebra, los oradores reflexionaron, lamentaron y, en ocasiones, simplemente permanecieron sentados en silencio mientras consideraban la experiencia de los afrodescendientes en los Estados Unidos de América.