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To stress the relevance of theological scholarship programmes for the future of world Christianity, a conference was organized by the Ecumenical Theological Education programme of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in partnership with Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and the Academy of Mission, University of Hamburg.

"€œTogether with other Christians whose theology, worship traditions and local contexts may be quite different from our own, we are called to discipleship that has transformative potential," said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit on Tuesday 1 May at the General Conference 2012 of the United Methodist Church in the United States.

Inspired by participating in the Youth for Eco-Justice training, a joint project of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Durban, South Africa last year, Kristi Holmberg started a “Climate Justice Campaign” which concluded successfully on 22 April, Earth Day.

By Marcelo Schneider (*)

Climate justice and the integrity of creation have been of concern to churches around the world. While stakeholders in the debate on climate change will gather at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20 this year in June, the World Council of Churches (WCC) hopes for discussions to go beyond the narrow understandings of a green economy and the international framework for sustainable development.

An international consultation on “Ecumenical Advocacy for the Protection of the Human Rights of Migrant Workers in the Arabian Gulf Region” is currently taking place from 29 April to 2 May at the Santhigiri Ashram in Kerala, India. The consultation was organized by the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Following armed attacks Sunday on Christian churches in Kano and Maiduguri, Nigeria, and in Nairobi, Kenya, leaders of the World Council of Churches (WCC) have called for people of faith to support afflicted believers through prayer and solidarity.

"The fellowship in the church should always be a sign of the empathy of God, with everyone who is suffering, groaning, longing for relief," said the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit in his keynote presentation at the 27th Quadrennial Assembly of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI).

The pension fund of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has been brought out of a deficit position and is being transferred to Profond, a collective pension fund institution that manages more than 3 billion Swiss francs in assets under its contracts with nearly 1,700 Swiss employers.

To mark the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel (WWPPI), Palestinian Christians will celebrate holy communion on Friday, 1 June in the orchard of the historic Cremisan monastery near Bethlehem. It is an area where Israel plans to confiscate land in order to extend its illegal separation barrier outside Jerusalem.

In a joint statement, the World Council of Churches and the All Africa Conference of Churches have expressed "grave concern over the increasing incidents of attacks on Christians and destruction of church property in Sudan". The councils report the public burning of Bibles and occupation by government forces of buildings housing the Sudan Council of Churches and Sudan Aid in Dafur province.

The new issue of International Review of Mission (IRM) presents the latest draft of a new WCC mission statement and invites wider participation in the process of developing it further for presentation to the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan in 2013.

Jessie Fubara-Manuel shares her views on violence, the HIV pandemic and struggles of women in churches to become part of the solution in Nigeria. She is a Presbyterian elder, a poet and a human resources consultant and has been involved with the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiative in Africa (EHAIA) programme.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has expressed great appreciation for recent comments by Mehmet Görmez, head of the Religious Affairs Directorate in Turkey, who sharply criticized the Fatwa (religious order) of Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti endorsing the destruction of churches, criticizing it as baseless and against Islamic principles.

In a joint statement issued on 18 April, "the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) express grave concern over the escalating armed conflict between Sudan and South Sudan and call upon both parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid any further deterioration of the situation."

The pure gift of peace, meant to be shared freely as a blessing from God, is the theme of an Easter 2012 reflection by the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

By Jonathan Frerichs (*)

20.02.12

Rev. Dr Edmond Perret, a Swiss ecumenical leader who served from 1970 to 1989 as general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), died at the age of 87 on 24 March in Geneva, Switzerland.

A Synaxis of the Primates of Eastern Orthodox Churches in the Middle East met in Cyprus on 27 March to discuss the situation of Christians in the region and to agree on common approaches to solidarity, strengthening and support of Christian communities struggling to maintain their presence in their historic homes.