El secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, se reunió con el presidente de Sudáfrica, Cyril Ramaphosa, para hablar de las iniciativas de paz en todo el mundo y del papel del CMI y los dirigentes sudafricanos.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay met with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, discussing peace initiatives across the globe—and the role of the WCC and South African leaders.
South African Council of Churches general secretary, Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, released a video message of peace and reassurance as, he notes, more and more voices are reaching out for the word of God.
Mientras el Rev. Frank Chikane dirigió el Consejo Sudafricano de Iglesias (SACC, por sus siglas en inglés) en su denuncia de las injusticias del sistema del apartheid, la organización no cejó en sus esfuerzos, ni siquiera después del atentado que redujo su sede a escombros en los años ochenta. Moderador de la Comisión de las Iglesias para Asuntos Internacionales (CIAI) del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) desde 2016, el Rev. Chikane ha denunciado injusticias en múltiples lugares del mundo. El departamento de comunicación del CMI le pidió que volviera la vista atrás sobre su mandato en la CIAI y sobre el constante llamado de las iglesias a poner fin a las injusticias que afectan hoy al mundo.
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.
La Comisión de las Iglesias sobre Asuntos Internacionales (CIAI) del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) ha facilitado la participación de las iglesias en una amplia variedad de cuestiones mundiales fundamentales desde la última Asamblea del CMI en Busan. Ésta fue la conclusión de la 58ª reunión de la CIAI del CMI, que reunió a los representantes de la iglesia físicamente en Johannesburgo y en línea en el año en que se celebra el 75º aniversario de la creación de la Comisión.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) has facilitated churches’ engagement in a wide range of critical issues of the world since the last WCC Assembly in Busan, concluded the 58th meeting of the WCC CCIA, gathering church representatives in Johannesburg and online in the 75th anniversary year of the Commission’s creation.
On 18 July, prayer services in South Africa will mark Nelson Mandela’s birthday and will also be an opportunity to pray for unity.
The Religious Forum Against COVID-19 has elected to observe the day in both a nationally broadcast prayer service as well as observing 67 minutes of prayer that evening.
The South African Council of Churches, in a 15 July statement, called for supporting a campaign of restoration and addressing the root causes of the unrest that is happening simultaneously with a third wave of COVID-19.
A 12 July statement from the South African Council of Churches notes with deep concern the violence and destruction of property that is engulfing the nation. “This violence is resulting in untold suffering,” the statement reads.
As the people of Maohi (French Polynesia) are remembering the seventh year of their re- inscription on the United Nations decolonisation list, the Pacific Conference of Churches, in a 19 June statement, called on France to act with justice.
In a statement to the president of the Republic of Indonesia, Papuan religious leaders are urging justice for seven defendants on trial in the Balikpapan - East Kalimantan District Court who held a demonstration because they were rejecting racist treatment. “But the indictments and charges at the trial were very different from the data and facts in the field,” reads the statement. “They are victims of racism but they have been accused of treason.”
In a 5 May message entitled “The Story of our Pacific Household in the ‘New Normal,’ ” the Pacific Conference of Churches acknowledges those risking their lives to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed condolences to those who have lost loved ones.
The South African Council of Churches is calling on the De Klerk Foundation to retract and apologize in the wake of a 14 February statement issued by the foundation amplifying the position that apartheid was not a crime against humanity, but a Soviet propaganda ploy.
The pre-launch of the Lenten campaign “Seven Weeks for Water” was held in Suva, Fiji, on 21 January, under the theme “A Pilgrimage of Water Justice in the Pacific Region.” In 2020, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace has a regional focus in the Pacific region.
Las actividades previas al lanzamiento de la campaña de Cuaresma “Siete Semanas para el Agua” tuvieron lugar en Suva (Fiyi) el 21 de enero, bajo el tema “Una peregrinación por la justicia del agua en la región del Pacífico”. En 2020, la peregrinación de justicia y paz del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) tiene un enfoque regional en la región del Pacífico.
“The Pacific Conference of Churches welcomes you on board our ecumenical canoe, as we sail and voyage together beyond the fringing reefs and rocks of the many issues that affect us here in the Pacific and globally, and set sail with our eyes firmly fixed on the island of hope,” said Rev. Dr James Bhagwan, Pacific Conference of Churches general secretary as he welcomed participants of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace to Fiji, on 20 January.
On 9 December, a delegation led by World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit met with the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and cabinet ministers in Johannesburg, South Africa.
El 9 de diciembre, una delegación encabezada por el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), el Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, se reunió con el presidente de Sudáfrica, Cyril Ramaphosa, y varios ministros de su gabinete en Johannesburgo (Sudáfrica).
Churches across southern Africa are publicly saying #EnoughIsEnough,” with many denominations and congregations continuing to issue strong statements, arrange special prayer events, and speak out against rising levels of violence.
Both the Dutch Reformed Church and the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA) have been discussing gender justice and how to keep the momentum going on the unprecedented public demand for change.
