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A framework and criteria for a new financial and economic architecture will be discussed at an ecumenical conference in Brazil this week. These criteria will embrace ethics and justice to address ecological concerns. The debates at the event will highlight the concerns of millions of people affected by the financial crisis.

What are the connections between widespread poverty and ecology? Seventy-five scientists, activists, philosophers and theologians are meeting from 26 to 30 September at the Orthodox Academy of Crete, in Kolympari, Greece, to understand the intertwined dynamics of economic development and environmental sustainability.

After a four year interval the World Council of Council (WCC) and the Centre for Inter-religious Dialogue (CID) in Tehran, Iran, have recommenced their meetings for bi-lateral dialogue.

By Naveen Qayyum (*)

While accusations of blasphemy in Pakistan have once again captured the news headlines, Bishop Samuel Azariah, moderator of the Church of Pakistan, hopes for the Pakistani government to consider repealing the controversial clause in the Pakistan Penal Code which, he says, invokes misuse of the blasphemy law.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has expressed great “regret” on the making of the film “The Innocence of Muslims”. He called the film an “an insult to the heart of the Muslim faith” and “to all peoples of faith.”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary has hailed the appointment of Dr Tarek Mitri as the United Nations secretary general’s special representative in Libya, a decision announced on 12 September at the UN Security Council meeting.

The question of who is your enemy is one that touches everyone in the world particularly in a place like Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina which suffered a devastating civil war nearly two decades ago.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee has adopted a statement expressing concern on abductions, forced marriages and forced conversions of young women from Christian and Hindu communities in Pakistan.

The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has expressed its support for the active participation of Christians in Myanmar who promote peace at the grass-roots level.

“Quite often, it is not the relationship between the Muslim majority and the Christian minority that was, and is, at stake but justice, political participation, human rights and national dignity,” said Dr Tarek Mitri. He added that “community-specific anxiety could not overshadow the common worries of Christians and Muslims" in the Middle East.

Every year, from 1 September to 4 October, parishes and congregations in various parts of the world consecrate some time to reflect, celebrate and organize activities in relation to creation.

"The WCC can be and still is prophetic today,"€ said the Rev. Dr Walter Altmann, moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee, reflecting on highs and lows in the ecumenical movement and on the identity of the WCC.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) “ is defined by all the three key words in our name. We are global, in all continents, and therefore also in solidarity with one another, seeking peace in all its meaning for the whole earth,” said the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.

Joakim Book Jonnson, a salesman for a security company and a member of the Church of Sweden, transformed his urban commuter life when he decided to leave, at least temporarily, no ecological footprint.

“Profound acceptance of the others, and a willingness to be open to unity in diversity will uphold values of reconciliation, peace and security in any society and community,” said Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to the participants of international consultation on “Peace, Security and Reconciliation in Myanmar”, organized by the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

“As women, we have a bond that helps us to engage in interfaith dialogue at the grassroots level in communities. Together we can identify the issues that concern all of us,” said the Rev. Krise Anki Gosal from the Christian Evangelical Church in Minahasa, Indonesia.

Many church and civil society representatives have expressed disappointment over the lack of vision and ambition in the outcomes of the Rio+20 summit, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this June. Yet the affirmation of the human right to water and sanitation is one aspect among others in the results that the future work of the ecumenical movement for sustainability and eco-justice can build on.

The present issue of Current Dialogue focuses on “Christian self-understanding in the context of Islam” from diverse theological and academic perspectives. The journal features various articles offering analysis based on the outcomes of intra-Christian consultations held over the last few years.

By Susan Kim (*)