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Acknowledging the inspiration from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the recommendations of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Laudato Si’ Encyclical by Pope Francis, the ecumenical season of creation movement and the ecotheology and ECOTHEE Conferences and the corresponding Cretan appeals since 2009.

Passing through closed streets, groups of cops and demonstrations to get to the Blue Zone is a strange situation for someone with roots in the Christian activist environment. I walk with the badge around my neck but I try to cover it with my jacket until I get to the first security check before entering the Blue Zone, the place where the negotiations happen. Thousands of people gather in the Blue Zone, the observers, the delegations, the press, the staff. It is like a small society here, a society under the UN flag that exists only for a couple of weeks. 

COP26 is in full swing, and I manage to follow it from my desk at home, thanks to digital technology. This is one positive thing we learned from COVID-19: we don’t need to fly around the world anymore. That is…provided there is good internet connection, which is not always the case in all countries.

COP26 in Glasgow started this week, offering a stage for world political leaders. For most of them, it was an opportunity to share their vision of the world they are leading. For some others, despite being among the most powerful, COP26 is also an opportunity to express their position on the major challenge of humanity in the 21st century by their absence. What did we hear in the first two days of this COP?

The highly anticipated, long awaited COP26 began 31 October. It has now been six years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement at COP21 and much remains to be implemented in order to fulfil the promises agreed to at that historic moment by the member states. We knew then that the road ahead would be challenging and that changing our systems would require a radical shift in policies and behaviours—but we were hopeful. 

How can an experience be life-changing? If you have time, I invite you to read this small testimony of my theological pilgrimage during the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) 2018 experience, which was life-changing.  

The food system is a complex web of activities involving production, processing, transport, and consumption. Key issues concerning the food system include how food production affects the natural environment, the impact of food on individual and population health, the governance and economics of food production, its sustainability, and the degree to which we waste food.

Ecumenical occasions often work a bit too hard to please everyone. Or maybe they work too hard not to offend anyone.

Since my first breath until today I have been extremely blessed to have lived my dreams. Life has been challenging and tough. But—no fun in living without a fight! I will continue to grow as I am absolutely blessed to have been surrounded by love and people who believe in me. 

In his 1967 book Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr envisioned a “World House.” 

You are very much needed. You are very much appreciated. You are very much discussed. You are bringing the fellowship of churches together through prayers, discussions, reflections, and actions in consensus.

When I read about Zerubbabel launching efforts in rebuilding Jerusalem I nod with a smile. Zechariah 4:10 says: “... Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin" (New Living Translation). Zerubbabel reminds me of a small nation that also started humbly, but whose efforts, despite the choir of doubters, have been greatly blessed by the Lord.

It seems strange to put Switzerland in a line with other countries affected by climate change: not because we don’t suffer from climate change as well but because we, as Swiss people, should be very aware of how our problems stand in relation to our wealth.

Human trafficking continues to remain one of the most grievous assaults on the fundamental rights and inherent dignity of people. The crime, also known as modern-day slavery, is dehumanising in the sense that it corrupts one’s identity as being made in the image of God, instead reducing one to a mere commodity or object.

These days, we are all swimming in the murky waters of theological, political, and social division. Swamped by waves of conflict and pulled down by undercurrents of dysfunction, it is reasonable to fear for the future of our communities of faith. But that’s not the end of the story. As president of Bethany Theological Seminary, an agency of the Church of the Brethren, I have found a deep, clear reservoir of hope in the witness and work of our students and alumni.

In 2021, the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, known of her venerated saints, the like of Ephraim the Syrian (373+), St and Martyr Fabronia (304+), is marking the 1500 Jubilee Year of Mor Jacob de Serugh (St. Jacob of Serugh).

The birth of a child is a very significant, important and joyous occasion. It is perhaps a life-changing experience for those who become parents for the first time. The coming of a child is usually accompanied by celebrations, including religious ones. 

The same week Brazil reached half a million deaths by COVID-19, my parents got the first dose of the vaccine. On my way to work, I pass through a vaccination post full of people, and through a cemetery full of grief. The past year and few months were a mix of fear, indignation and anger for me. But also a time where I saw generosity and hope bloom.

476 million indigenous people live around the world, of which 11.5% live in our Latin American region. In these years that we are going from the COVID 19 pandemic in our territories (indigenous or tribal at the Latin American level), the presence of many extractive companies, mainly uranium and lithium, has increased, land traffickers and among other monoculture companies with fires for the cultivation of oil palm, logging, putting vulnerable peoples at greater risk than what is already experienced.

The Uruguayan Council of Christian Churches (CICU, by its Spanish acronym), the only ecumenical organization in the country, hosted an online gathering during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It took place last 26 May at 7:30pm (local time) via Zoom. I had the immense joy of participating as a Catholic communicator, currently serving as correspondent for SIGNIS ALC (Latin-American and Caribbean Association of Catholic Communication) and as vice president of SIGNIS Uruguay (the Uruguayan Association of Catholic Communicators).