Search results

Hundreds of worshippers gathered 16th of June in the historic cathedral of the Protestant Church of Geneva to commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification.

As the council of the Lutheran World Federation met on 12 June, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit shared greetings and appreciation.

A Christian and a Muslim scholar have told a seminar at the World Council of Churches (WCC) about their work in an annual “Building Bridges” seminar with “freedom” as the theme, as participants described what they do as a process, not an event.

Among the many international guests at the Heavenly Days on the Heath, which unfolded during the Ascension holidays in Herning in Denmark, was Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches.

Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church Department of External Church Relations, visited the WCC at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva on 5 June, during a visit to Switzerland.

The First World War had started, and the planet was in crisis when he became Archbishop of Uppsala in 1914, but through it all, ecumenical trailblazer and peace-seeker Nathan Söderblom envisioned a new way for the church, a man who acted.

In a joint message, the heads of four North American churches - Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Anglican Church of Canada, and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada - commended the richness of the Arusha Call to Discipleship and invited their members to embrace the call.

As the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism closed its 16-22 May meeting in Helsinki, Finland, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit reflected that mission is the “gearbox” that brings energy to the ecumenical movement that results in action.

At a conference with the theme “Promoting Peace Together” held in Geneva on 21 May, religious leaders focused on two historic documents related to peace-making. The first, “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,” was jointly signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Abu Dhabi in February. The second, “Education for Peace in a Multi-Religious World: A Christian Perspective,” jointly prepared by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the World Council of Churches (WCC), was officially launched at the conference.

The Arusha Call to Discipleship is at once exhilarating, transformative and challenging to the point of discomfort for some, reflected leaders of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) during a 20 May press conference and book launch in Helsinki, Finland.

As a meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism convened in Helsinki, Finland on 16-22 May, leaders reflected on the way forward for the ecumenical movement after the commission’s Arusha conference in March.
In opening remarks, Dr Agnes Aboum, moderator of the WCC Central Committee, reflected on what she described on as “landmark” conference in Arusha, which drew together more than 1,000 people and resulted in an Arusha Call to Discipleship.

A seminar on human resources and leadership development for diakonia was held in the West African Republic of Bénin from 13-17 May.

The WCC “Working Together” meeting, including an “Ecumenical Market Place,” took place on 7 and 8 May at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute.

As the Anglican Consultative Council convened in Hong Kong on 1 May, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit offered a reflection on Anglican contributions to unity.

The Europe region of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) elected a new Regional Executive Committee during its once-every-four-years assembly, held as part of as joint seminar organised with the Conference of European Churches (CEC) from 10-12 April in Helsinki and Stockholm.

The General Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church is celebrating its 200th anniversary, focusing on the future of Methodist mission during changing times. Thomas Kemper, general secretary of United Methodist Global Ministries, reflected on how mission can be a source of unity, and how ecumenical collaboration in mission is essential.

After a large fire broke out on 15 April at the Notre Dame cathedral, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed shock over the damage to one the most famous landmarks in Paris, and the seat of the archbishop of Paris.

“What are some of the future directions that we can derive from reflections that we’ve had in Arusha so that the energy and the enthusiasm that we created in Arusha cannot be lost?” This key question was posed by Metropolitan Dr. Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, moderator of the World Council of Churches Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME), during a recent working group meeting on discipleship at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, Switzerland.

The WCC Permanent Committee on Consensus and Collaboration is meeting from 5-10 April at the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand in Lebanon.

In a special greeting from the World Council of Churches (WCC) moderator Dr Agnes Abuom expressed her thankfulness to the Church of Sweden and its members, for everything they have done for ecumenism.