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Overview of WCC statements, news, and features on Palestine and Israel in the period 1 January 2023 - 15 March 2024.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay opened the 10th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-based Organizations in International Affairs on 23 January in New York City, with reflections on the theme “Human Rights and Dignity: Towards a Just, Peaceable, and Inclusive Future.” 

African Anglican women bishops, after a gathering in Kenya from 8-14 January, released a communique emphasizing the need for authentic women’s leadership, and calling on the church to stop its silence on gender inequalities. 

As the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting commenced in Davos beginning 15 January, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay urged the gathering to renew its commitment to multilateral cooperation for the longer-term good of all people. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay marked 11 January as a “significant moment for justice and the rule of law,” as public hearings commenced in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on allegations against the State of Israel of violations of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. 

World Council of Churches greetings to the participants and hosts of the 2023 Taizé Youth Gathering, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

World Council of Churches letter of condolences to His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church on the passing of Rev. Prof. Dr Daniel Buda.

A sermon by WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay delivered at the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, Havana, 17 December 2023.

In order to strengthen the voice of the churches with regards to global economics, a group of up to 20 current and future leaders representing the churches will have the opportunity to attend the Ecumenical School on Governance, Economics and Management (GEM School) for an Economy of Life in Nairobi, Kenya (TBC) from 19 until 30 August 2024.

GEM School aims to train church leaders and young persons on eco-just international economics and global economic governance, thereby equipping churches with tools to enable them to engage in advocacy for transformations in the financial and economic architecture. 

Address by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Global Refugee Forum, Geneva, December 14, 2023

Reinforcing the traditional role of faith communities in offering sanctuary and, indeed hospitality to refugees, 90 faith-based leaders today committed to offering their continued and additional support to refugees, including children, on their journey to safety, including in reception and admission, meeting protection or service delivery needs and supporting communities to find solutions such as private sponsorship or scholarship programmes.

Address by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the WCC Town-Hall Discussion on Interfaith Dialogue, Climate Change, and Refugee Displacement - at the Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees, Ecumenical Center, Geneva, Switzerland 12 December 2023.

Message of the H.E. Archbishop Dr Aykazian Vicken, Vice-moderator of the WCC central committee at the "Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees" event at the Ecumenical Center, Geneva, Switzerland 12 December 2023.

Message of the H.E. Archbishop Dr Aykazian Vicken, Vice-moderator of the WCC central committee at the Inter-Religious Ceremony for Peace in Solidarity with Refugees, Ecumenical Center, Geneva, Switzerland 12 December 2023.

Christmas Message of the World Council of Churches, December 2023: What Is This Light?

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay commemorated the legacy of Nelson Mandela on 8 December at a piano concert for peace.