Search results

The fate of Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan was focus of the side event at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on 1 October, featuring leading advocates and human rights lawyers representing the detainees.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed profound concern over escalating violence in Lebanon and Gaza, and reaffirmed the WCC’s commitment to justice, peace, and the dignity of all peoples. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed deep sadness and grave concern over the escalating violence and attacks on Lebanon. “As followers of Christ and stewards of peace, we reaffirm our commitment to justice and the protection of human dignity and lives,” he said. “We unequivocally condemn the use of violence, particularly in civilian areas, which has caused immense suffering, destruction, and the tragic loss of life.”

In a solidarity message issued on the International Day of Peace, 21 September, the South Sudan Council of Churches called for fostering positive change that will bring peace to the nation.

World Council of Churches (WCC) moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm is participating in an international peace meeting hosted by the St Egidio community and Archdiocese of Paris from 22-24 September. 

At a conference commemorating the 100th anniversary of the National Council of Churches in Korea, Peter Prove, director of the World Council of Churches Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, offered remarks as part of a panel discussion on "The Role of the Global Ecumenical Community for A Permanent Peace Regime of the Korean Peninsula.”

A delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) is joining the Ecumenical Network of South Sudan (ENSS) in a solidarity visit from 18-23 September to accompany and support the church leaders in South Sudan.

Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo of the Episcopal (Anglican) Church of Sudan called for end to the ongoing war in the country, as humanitarian agencies flagged a hunger crisis of epic proportions.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay joined all those grieving the loss of six hostages whose bodies were recovered from the Gaza Strip on 31 August. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay and WCC moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm are urging caution with regard to a law passed by the Ukrainian Rada which bans the activities of religious organizations associated with Russia in Ukraine.

Hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and supported by the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a faith-based dialogue on lethal autonomous weapons will take place at the United Nations in Geneva and online on 27 August. 

Speaking at a Korea Peace Night on 15 August during the World Methodist Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay urges redoubling efforts for reunification on the Korean Peninsula. 

The war in Gaza continues, with the number of lives lost growing by the day and with an immanent risk of further escalation of war and conflict across the region. On 7 August, a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) accompanied by partners from the Middle East Council of Churches, ACT Alliance, and Caritas Internationalis, heard the witness of some of those for whom this war has become a daily reality.  

World Council of Churches moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay met on 7 August with the parents of Layan Nasir, a 24-year-old Palestinian Anglican student held in administrative detention by Israeli authorities – without formal charges – since April 2024. 

The World Council of Churches is inviting all people of goodwill to participate in the Nuclear Prayer Day, to be held 6 August.

A pioneering workshop on “Drafting the National Strategy for Managing Religious, Ethnic, and Cultural Diversity in Iraq” was held from July 23-25. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) invites the global fellowship and all people of good will to join, on 15 August, a prayer for peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula.