On 20 May 2022, a group of us, 14 pilgrims from different parts of the world (Kenya, Brussels, Germany, Hong Kong, Philippines, Poland, Rome, Korea, Canada, Fiji, Australia, London, Scotland, and Geneva—a very diverse group) gathered in Palermo, Italy for a Pilgrim Team Visit on the theme of migration.
Sharing the concerns of World Council of Churches (WCC) Lutheran member churches around the world, a Lutheran confessional meeting took place during the recent central committee meeting at the Ecumenical Center in Geneva.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee elected Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay as the ninth general secretary at its 17 June meeting. Below, Pillay reflects on his longstanding passion for ecumenism and his expectations for the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe.
Dr Elizabeth Joy was the first woman ever to be shortlisted as a nominee for the general secretary of the World Council of Churches. A director at Churches Together in England, she is from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. She grew up in both India and the United Kingdom. Below, during an interview held the day after the WCC elections, she reflects on her roots in the ecumenical movement, and on her message to the WCC.
Des dirigeants d’Églises d’institution africaine se sont rencontrés à Genève, le 15 juin dernier, dans le cadre de la réunion du Comité central du Conseil œcuménique des Églises (COE).
Réunis à l’occasion de la session du Comité central du Conseil œcuménique des Églises (COE) en juin, les membres méthodistes de l’organe directeur du COE ont eu un moment de partage.
Global Christian Forum sustains imperative role in a post-pandemic world and reaches out to new groups of people. Global meeting to be held in Ghana in 2024.
A gathering of church leaders from African-instituted churches took place in Geneva on 15 June as part of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee meeting.
My name is Tobias Nissen, I am an 18-year-old UK / Danish dual national who has lived in France my whole life. I attended school in Geneva, Switzerland and during my final years of education, I wrote an essay about the effects that climate change is having on low-lying Pacific countries. From this point on my interest in the Pacific region grew, and when I received the opportunity to work as an intern for the Pacific Conference of Churches, in Fiji for 2 months, I knew that it would be an experience that I couldn’t miss.
«Il nous est demandé de réfléchir sur le Comité central du Conseil œcuménique des Églises (COE) et la 11e Assemblée du COE», explique Janet Scott du Comité consultatif mondial des Amis tandis qu’elle se prépare à faciliter la réunion confessionnelle des Églises moraves et traditionnellement pacifistes à l’occasion du premier jour de la réunion du Comité central. «Notre Église traditionnellement pacifiste se demande toujours comment promouvoir la cause de la paix dans ses réflexions».
During the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee meeting in June, Methodist members of the WCC governing body gathered for a moment of sharing.
Rev. Dr Jeffrey Carter, Church of the Brethren, is president of Bethany Theological Seminary. His reflections below were drawn from an interview after the confessional meeting with historic peace churches and the Moravians that occurred during the recent World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee meeting. Carter is a member of the central committee.
“We are asked to reflect on the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee and the WCC 11th Assembly,” said Janet Scott, Friends World Committee for Consultation, as she prepared to facilitate the confessional meeting of the Moravian and historic peace churches on the first day of the central committee meeting. “Our historic peace church way to reflect is to consider how to further the cause of peace.”
Elisama Wani Daniel, de la Province de l’Église épiscopale du Soudan, a évoqué le rôle prophétique de l’Église pour aider le peuple du Soudan du Sud, qu’il décrit comme « un pays qui a souvent dû lutter au cours de son histoire ».
At ecumenical prayers in the capital city, Juba, South Sudanese church leaders called for unity, peace, and reconciliation, as their nation continued to struggle with instability and conflict, a decade after independence.
Le secrétaire général nouvellement élu du Conseil œcuménique des Églises (COE) estime qu’avoir grandi en Afrique du Sud, pendant une période de conflit et de souffrance, lui sera très utile lorsqu’il prendra ses fonctions à la tête de l’organisation œcuménique, en janvier, en tant que leader convaincu de la valeur du dialogue.
The general secretary-elect of the World Council of Churches (WCC) believes that growing up during a period of conflict and suffering in South Africa will stand him in good stead when he takes up his position as the head of the ecumenical body in January as a leader who believes in dialogue.
Almost 70 women—members of World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee and staff—met together on 16 June for an hour of sharing, networking, and marking “Thursdays in Black,” the growing global campaign for a world free from rape and violence.
Elisama Wani Daniel, from the Province of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, spoke about the prophetic role of the church in helping the people of South Sudan, which he describes as “a country that has gone through many struggles in its history.”
The World Council of Churches (WCC) had a pivotal place at a conference organized by the Foundation Dialogue for Peace in Geneva, drawing international speakers that would gladden the organizers of any world gathering as they interlinked trying to feed and heal people and get peace during war.