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As the latest set of World Council of Churches (WCC) ecumenical accompaniers left Palestine and Israel, ushering in a new set who will take the mantle, a handover ceremony brought heartfelt prayers for a just peace in the region. 

As the Global Christian Forum closed in Ghana on 19 April, the gathering shared a message focusing on moving beyond a posture of “us” and “them,” and on how we can be inspired to act together for the restoration of the world. 

The Global Christian Forum, with its fourth global gathering underway in Ghana, is marking its 25^thanniversary at a time when the world is in dire need of justice, reconciliation, and unity.

Mount Zion, located just outside the current walls of the Old City, via Zion Gate, is of great importance to Christians because this is the area of Dormition Abbey, the Cenacle (the traditional spot for remembering the Last Supper and washing of the Apostles’ feet), and where the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the event of Pentecost.

The stretch of time since 7 October 2023 has been described in many ways—and Robi Damelin’s words are “a real test of your belief systems.”

“We won’t leave Gaza as long as there is a standing church.” 

“We will not be the last Christians living in Gaza.” “

“We lost everything, but we can’t lose our mission and our belonging to this place dear to our hearts.”

“Christianity started here and will continue to be here.”  

These are the words people are uttering as Nader Abu Amsha, executive director of Department of Services to Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches (DSPR-MECC), tries to help them simply survive the next day. 

Father Frans Bouwen, a priest in the Catholic church who has been living and working for ecumenism in Jerusalem since 1969, has a stark description of the situation in Palestine and Israel today. 

In an annual audience during the ongoing Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Bishop Bo-Göran Åstrand of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland gifted a pair of gloves to Pope Francis, described as “a modest gift, to warm the Pope’s hands in an otherwise cold world.” 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Faith and Order Commission met for the first full meeting, which took place on 27 and 29 November, and 1 and 4 December online. 

A new publication, “Towards a Global Vision of the Church, Volume II,” was released during a webinar on 14 December hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order. 

Amidst deaths and displacement, church leaders in eastern Africa are re-stressing a warning against floods, while appealing for support for communities displaced by the climate change disaster.

Despite the war, security concerns, and travel restrictions, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel and the WCC Jerusalem Office continue to operate. Ecumenical accompaniers have observed increasing violence against Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7.