The Pacific Conference of Churches joined other nongovernmental and civic groups on the streets of Suva, Fiji, to peacefully demonstrate against Japan’s dumping of Fukushima nuclear wastewater into the ocean.
After thousands of Orthodox Christians were denied access to Mount Tabor, in the Lower Galilee—site of the transfiguration of Jesus—World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed concern about the infringement on religious freedom in the Holy Land.
Church leaders in Pakistan are calling for international solidarity and for measures to ensure the safety and security of Christians in Pakistan. Their messages come in the wake of church burnings in the city of Jaranwala, in eastern Pakistan, where 24 churches have been burned, affecting at least 600 families.
With the United Evangelical Mission International Summer School set to began on 19 August, the World Council of Churches (WCC) shared greetings with participants who come from areas affected by conflict.
Human Rights Monitor, a human rights organisation focusing on West Papua, Indonesia, has just released a report titled "Destroy Them First, Discuss Human Rights Later: An investigation of Indonesian Security Forces’ operations in Kiwirok under International Law.”
Human rights violations in Israel and Palestine have nearly tripled during the past year, according to reports from the most recent set of ecumenical accompaniers from the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.
Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia, led a delegation that visited Colombia on 8-11 August to express solidarity with the Colombian churches, government and people as they collaborate in the design, implementation, and advocacy for the construction of peace in the country. Below, he shares his impressions of the visit.
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.
In a keynote address at the International Conference for Reconciliation in Colombia, Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia, reflected on “Ecumenical Experiences and Learnings in the Construction of the Peace.”
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is urging a renewal of a Joint Ecumenical Peace Appeal—one that calls for, among other actions toward peace, an immediate formal declaration of the end of the Korean War.
In a letter to Colombian president H.E. Gustavo Petro Urrego on 28 July, WCC general secretary Rev. Prof Dr Jerry Pillay expressed deep appreciation for the Colombian government’s initiatives for peace.
In a letter to the China Christian Council, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Plllay expressed deep sympathy and concern for churches and people in China in the wake of Typhoon Doksuri.
A rising trend of violence in the West Bank led four Palestinian communities to leave their villages and move somewhere else, due to the residents living in constant fear and occupation-related coercive measures.
Vandalism targeting churches, cemeteries, and Christian properties in addition to physical and verbal abuse against Christian clergy have increased in the past months in the Holy Land, amid ongoing political tensions within Israeli society.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling on Azerbaijan for the immediate lifting of the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, as more than 120,000 people—including 30,000 children—are suffering under an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis.
An ecumenical global prayer on 28 July expressed solidarity, hope, and lament as the people and churches of Sudan continue to exist amid conflict and violence.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) shared greetings, ideas, and solidarity on 27 July with the International Conference on the 70th Anniversary of Armistice Agreement on the Korean Peninsula.
On 13 August, a global prayer for peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula will unite voices seeking to build bridges between North and South Korea.
A World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation led by WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Pillay visited New York City and Washington, DC this week, meeting with United Nations representatives, the Papal Nuncio, the National Council of Churches in North America, other church leaders, and ecumenical organizations and state officials.
A World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation, led by WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, is visiting the USA this week, traveling to New York City as well as Washington, D.C. to bring together ecumenical leadership.