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Statement on the War in Ukraine by the WCC Central Committee meeting, 15 - 18 June 2022.

Statement by the WCC Central Committee meeting 15-18 June 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Statement of the World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca regarding the recent attack on a church community during a Sunday morning mass at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.

During its current meeting (30 May-2 June 2022 online) the executive committee of the World Council of Churches was deeply disturbed by the kidnapping on 29 May of Dr. Samuel Chukwuemeka Kanu Uche, the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria – along with the Methodist Bishop of Owerri Diocese Rt. Rev. Dennis Okechukwu Mark, and the Chaplain to the Prelate, Very Rev. Jeremiah Abidemi Shittu – and was greatly relieved by the news of their safe release on 31 May.

The conflict in Ukraine continues to cause a terrible toll of death, destruction, displacement and misery for the Ukrainian people, with thousands of civilians reported to have been killed, and more than 14 million people – well over a quarter of the entire population – forced to flee from their homes. In addition, the impacts of this war are being felt far beyond the borders of Ukraine or the European region, producing a downward spiral effect on a global economy already battered by COVID-19 and the climate crisis. Prices of food, fertiliser and energy have risen rapidly in many parts of the world, given the important roles played by Russia and Ukraine in these markets.

On Thursday 14 April 2022, the United Kingdom and Rwanda announced a new Migration and Economic Development Partnership. Through this partnership, asylum-seekers who are already on UK soil can be transferred to Rwanda, where their asylum claims will be processed. Though UK government officials claim that the agreement “fully complies with all national and international law, including the UN Refugee Convention and European Convention on Human Rights”, many reputable human rights organizations as well as senior church leaders in the UK have criticized it.

The executive committee of the World Council of Churches, meeting online on 30 May-2 June 2022, welcomes the ecumenical solidarity visit to Sudan on 20-25 April 2022 undertaken jointly by the WCC, the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA). Though this visit was planned already in early 2020 in light of the political upheavals and transitions of 2019, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, in October 2021, a military coup displaced again the civilian governmental leadership, in a development which this executive committee described as a betrayal of the revolution of 2019 and of the country's own Constitutional Document and other foundational documents of the transition.

The WCC has supported the State of Israel since its inception in 1948. The council has consistently called for an end to violence, repudiation of all forms of anti-semitism, an end to the illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict there.

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed grave concern over COVD-19 outbreak in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Statement of the World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca on the murder of Deborah Yakubu, a second-year college student beaten to death and burnt by a group of her fellow students in Sokoto, northern Nigeria.

Recent events in Palestine and Israel have, tragically, once again underscored the critical need for a just peace in the region, for both Palestinians and Israelis, says World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca.

The reports now emerging from Bucha and other areas near Kyiv give much stronger indications of grave violations of international law. The World Council of Churches expresses its abhorrence at these reported atrocities, which must be fully investigated and documented so that those responsible can be held legally and personally accountable.

The World Council of Churches is appalled by the escalating impact of the conflict in Ukraine on civilians – the women, men and children of Ukraine – and by what appears to be increasingly indiscriminate attacks.

The World Council of Churches affirms and supports the appeal issued on 24 February 2022 by His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate).

On 22 February 2022, World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed grave concern for the people of Ukraine amid the latest developments and escalating tensions threatening peace and security.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed deep concern about the worsening security situation in Nigeria, and the impact on the people and churches of the country.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) calls on the Palestinian Authority to investigate recent attacks on Christians in the West Bank, and to ensure justice and dignity for all citizens.  The WCC call follows two attacks last week against Christians in Nablus and Bethlehem areas.

The World Council of Churches, with its member churches throughout the world, urgently appeals for peace for the people of Ukraine.