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“Violence begets violence. It is not possible for Syrians to overcome conflict without a political solution, strong democratic institutions and demilitarization of the country,” said Dr Haytham Al-Manna, a prominent Syrian human rights defender and opposition figure, head of the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria (NCB).

By Marcelo Schneider (*)

Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, newly elected as the 97th Patriarch of the Armenian Church in Jerusalem and Superior of the Brotherhood of Saint James, has received congratulations and an affirmation of support from Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

[Joint release with the Latin American and Caribbean Agency of Communication (ALC)]

On behalf of the member churches of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has conveyed a€ œsincere condolence to the people and churches of Brazil over the death of more than 230 students who were killed due to fire at a night club in Santa Maria, Brazil on 27 January.

Organized by the Fellowship of Christian Churches in Geneva (RECG), a prayer service was held during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on 23 January at the Ecumenical Centre chapel in Geneva, Switzerland.Â

"The World Council of Churches (WCC) 10th Assembly will be an opportunity for praying, listening and sharing together. The event will provide participants a chance to listen for the voice of God, leading them to justice and peace in the world." These were the words of Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, the WCC general secretary, who spoke with the press in Seoul, Republic of Korea on 29 January 2013.

"€œPeace is something radical, something that has to be told - and has to be believed, so that it may become possible," said the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in a Sunday evening sermon at the Myung Sung Presbyterian Church in Seoul, Republic of Korea on 27 January 2013.

Justice should not be secondary to peace, and both should go together, according to Dr Navanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She made her comments in an encounter with the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Drawing on the Indian churches' experience, churches around the world are celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with a particular focus on justice as integral to the unity they seek.

In an inter-religious service organized by the Vatican, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit stressed the importance of "€œexpressions for peace and the mutual respect for the dignity of the other"€.

“It is impossible to speak exclusively for the unity of the church and be indifferent about the unity of humankind,” said Dr Petros Vassiliadis, at an academic gathering held in his honour in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Dr Oh Jae Shik, an ecumenical peace activist from South Korea was remembered by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary as “friend of the weak and marginalized”.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has expressed sadness over the death of Rev. Dr Toshitsugu Arai, a renowned Asian ecumenical leader and former staff member of the WCC and the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA).

In La Paz, an ecumenical delegation delivered to Bolivian government officials a statement on ethical principles for a new global economic system. The statement was received by Bolivian minister of the presidency Juan Ramon Quintana at the government palace on 9 January.

Baptized into Christ: A Guide to the Ecumenical Discussion of Baptism, by theologian Rev. Dr Dagmar Heller of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), was the topic of a book launch and reception on Friday, 11 January at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland.

The Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches invoked theological reflections on Colossians 1:15-20 in his sermon at the Ecumenical Centre chapel on 14 January in Geneva, Switzerland.

A letter sent Friday from the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper calls on the Canadian government to “listen carefully” to the concerns of Canada’s Indigenous leaders.

Core religious issues of Jewish-Christian relations intertwine with current political realities, asserts Dr Clare Amos, programme coordinator for inter-religious dialogue and cooperation at the World Council of Churches (WCC).