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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. 

Restoring human dignity where people suffer most is the ultimate calling for churches in the Middle East and their partners worldwide, stated an annual partners meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches held in Ain el Qassis, Lebanon this week.

Restaurar la dignidad humana allí donde las personas padecen un mayor sufrimiento es la vocación fundamental de las iglesias de Oriente Medio y de sus asociados en todo el mundo, afirmó la reunión mundial de asociados del Consejo de Iglesias de Oriente Medio (MECC, por sus siglas en inglés), celebrada en Ain el Qassis (Líbano) esta semana.

“Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to love, and may peace be in our hearts,” said Rev. Gabrielle Zander from the Augusta Victoria Church in an opening word of prayer, as participants in the WCC-EAPPI gathered in Saint Anne’s Basilica in Jerusalem in mid-April.

“Guíanos de la desesperación a la esperanza, del miedo al amor, y que la paz esté en nuestros corazones”, dijo la Rev. Gabrielle Zander, de la Iglesia Augusta Victoria, en la oración de apertura que pronunció durante una reunión de los participantes en el Programa Ecuménico de Acompañamiento en Palestina e Israel del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI-PEAPI) en la Basílica de Santa Ana, en Jerusalén, a mediados de abril.

After a visit to Israel and Palestine on 21 February through 1 March, a delegation of South African and African-American church leaders, released a Group Pilgrimage Statement on Israel and Palestine.

Dealing with people on the move is crucial to the work of the Church in the 21st century says Greek Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia and Filadelfia. More than 31,000 irregular migrants arrived in Greece by sea in 2018 and almost 17,000 arrived by land, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) participated in a Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies on “Inclusive Citizenship in the Middle East and North Africa.” The forum was held 14-15 November.

Die Ökumenische Jury des 32. Internationalen Filmfestivals Freiburg (Schweiz), das vom 16. bis 24. März stattfand, hat seinen Preis dem Film „Foxtrot“ des israelischen Regisseurs Samuel Maoz verliehen. Der Film schildert, wie real und omnipräsent Gewalt und Tod in der israelischen und palästinensischen Gesellschaft aufgrund des israelisch-palästinensischen Konflikts immer noch sind. Auch den Don Quijote-Preis des internationalen Filmclubs (FICC) hat der Film bereits gewonnen.

The Ecumenical Jury of the 32nd International Film Festival Fribourg, held 16-24 March, awarded its prize to the the film “Foxtrot” by Israeli filmdirector Samuel Maoz. The film portrays the ongoing presence of violence and death in the Israeli and Palestinian society due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The film won the Don Quijote Prize of the international film clubs (FICC) as well.

El Jurado Ecuménico de la trigesimosegunda edición del Festival Internacional de Cine de Friburgo (Suiza), celebrado del 16 al 24 de marzo, ha concedido su premio a la película “Foxtrot”, del director cinematográfico israelí Samuel Maoz. La película retrata la presencia constante de la violencia y de la muerte en la sociedad israelí y palestina debido al conflicto palestino-israelí. Ganó también el premio Don Quijote de las asociaciones de cine internacionales (FICC).

Unity among religious leaders is growing and it is a powerful message of hope in the Arab region, Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders have heard at a Vienna conference on peaceful coexistence and diversity, whilst advocating the necessity of even more dialogue.

La unidad entre los líderes religiosos se está fortaleciendo y es un poderoso mensaje de esperanza para la región árabe que ha llegado a los líderes cristianos, judíos y musulmanes presentes en una conferencia sobre la coexistencia pacífica y la diversidad que ha tenido lugar en Viena, aunque se ha destacado la necesidad de más diálogo.

Christians from throughout the world want it known that they believe the decision of US President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel is a serious blow to efforts for a just and sustainable peace in the Holy Land, and risks provoking further conflict in the region.

The WCC Executive Committee met in Amman, Jordan from 17-23 November to approve the 2018 plan and budget and prepare for renewal of the WCC strategic plan. The Executive Committee also discerned the way forward for the WCC’s involvement in Palestine and Israel by learning more about the particular situation in Jordan and the Middle East, then discussing the challenges of the churches and the WCC response. The Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem, All Palestine and Jordan, Theophilos III, welcomed the group.

El Comité Ejecutivo del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) se reunió en Ammán (Jordania) del 17 al 23 de noviembre para aprobar los planes y el presupuesto de 2018 y prepararse para renovar el plan estratégico del CMI. Asimismo, trazó el camino a seguir en la labor del CMI en Palestina e Israel, conociendo más de cerca la situación concreta en Jordania y Oriente Medio, y examinando las dificultades de las iglesias y la respuesta del CMI. El Patriarca de la Ciudad Santa de Jerusalén, toda Palestina y Jordania, Teófilo III, dio la bienvenida al grupo.

In spite of a seemingly bleak outlook for a solution to the conflict in Palestine and Israel, religious leaders all over the world persist in their advocacy for justice and peace in the Holy Land. That became evident at the WCC peace consultations in Beit Sahour this summer, where 60 leaders and representatives from Christian churches and faith-based organizations around the world gathered to manifest their support for a peaceful end to the occupation of Palestinian territories.

For Dr Vahid Sohrabifar from Iran’s city of Qom, attending the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies at the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey was inspiring due to the diversity he encountered on the course.

Reconciliation was once primarily seen as a message of the church but is now used by secular leaders trying to establish peace in communities torn by conflict and war, the WCC president for Africa, the Rev. Mary Anne Plaatjies van Huffel, has said at a major Protestant gathering in Germany.

Church leaders, led by Pope Tawadros II and Pope Francis, were gathered to pray for the people of Egypt, for unity, for peace and justice in St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, the chapel next to Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral that was bombed in December 2016, now restored.