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“Holy Places and our Human Identities”, address of the World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca at the conference "International Religious Freedom and Peace – To Promote Freedom of Religion and Preservation of Spiritual, Cultural and Historical Heritage" held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin from 8-12 September 2021.

Communiqué, International Conference on ‘The Holy Scripture in a Changing World’, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia, 27 September – 1 October 2018.

Greetings to the World Council of Churches from Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch Catholicos of All Armenians on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the WCC

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness..." 

(Matthew 5:6a)

The justice and righteousness of the fourth beatitude are presented by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew as a necessity. This justice is the way to happiness promised by the fourth beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Only those who hunger and thirst for divine justice will be satisfied and filled with happiness. However, for centuries, a major question arises over the meaning of this justice: what is the justice that Matthew presents? Why, contrary to the evangelist Luke who presents a physical hunger and thirst (Luke 6:21), does Matthew emphasize the need to suffer hunger and thirst for righteousness? What kind of justice does the first Gospel present?

Greetings from the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit for the ceremony of the blessing of the Armenian Church of the Holy Muron in Bikfaya, Lebanon.

Sermon at the Centennial Commemoration Service of the Armenian Genocide, at the National Cathedral, Washington, DC.

„Vom Mitmenschen her kommen uns Leben und Tod“ - so lautet ein geistliches Wort der christlichen Tradition, das wir Antonius dem Großen verdanken, einem ägyptischen Mönch des dritten und vierten Jahrhunderts. Dies ist unser gemeinsames Erbe aus den frühen Jahren Armeniens und seiner christlichen Geschichte. Mensch zu sein, heißt der einen Menschheit anzugehören. Vom ersten Tag unseres Lebens an sind wir von anderen abhängig. Heute werden wir auf dramatische Art und Weise daran erinnert, dass es unsere Bestimmung ist, zueinander zu gehören, im Guten wie im Schlechten. Das Geschenk des Zusammenlebens beinhaltet auch unsere Verantwortung füreinander. Hier geht es darum, Mensch zu sein, von Gott geschaffen zur Gemeinschaft und Einheit.

“Our life and our death are with our neighbour” – this is a spiritual affirmation from the Christian tradition which we owe to Saint Anthony, a monk from Egypt of the third and fourth century. This is our common legacy from the early years of Armenia and its Christian history. To be human is to be part of the one humanity. From the first day of our life we depend on others. Today we are reminded in a dramatic way that belonging to one another is our destiny, for better or for worse. The gift of life together includes our responsibility for one another. This is a matter of being human, created by God for fellowship and unity.

La vida y la muerte nos vienen del prójimo. Esta es una afirmación espiritual de la tradición cristiana que debemos a San Antonio Abad, monje egipcio que vivió entre los siglos III y IV, y nuestro patrimonio común de los primeros años de Armenia y su historia cristiana. Ser humano es ser parte de una sola humanidad. Desde el primer día de nuestra vida, dependemos de otros. Hoy, se nos está recordando de forma dramática que pertenecer unos a otros es nuestro destino, para lo mejor o para lo peor. El don de la vida común incluye nuestra responsabilidad recíproca. Es cuestión del ser humano, creado por Dios para la comunión y la unidad.

«Notre vie et notre mort dépendent de notre prochain». Il s’agit là d’une affirmation spirituelle de la tradition chrétienne que nous devons à saint Antoine, moine qui vivait en Égypte aux troisième et quatrième siècles. Il s’agit de l’héritage commun qui nous vient des premières années de l’Arménie et de son histoire chrétienne. Être humain, c’est faire partie de l’humanité une. Dès le premier jour de notre vie, nous dépendons des autres. Aujourd’hui, les faits nous rappellent de façon dramatique qu’appartenir les uns aux autres est notre destin, pour le meilleur ou pour le pire. Le don de la vie ensemble comprend notre responsabilité les uns envers les autres. Cela consiste à être humain, créé par Dieu pour une vie de communion et d’unité.

Church leaders and representatives from Syria, the Middle East Council of Churches, the WCC, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Holy See gathered in Etchmiadzin for a consultation to address the challenges for faith communities in the ongoing crisis in Syria.

Message of blessing from His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians, at the opening prayer on the WCC 10th Assembly

of the Inter-Orthodox Pre-Assembly Consultation which brought together representatives of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches to prepare for the WCC 10th Assembly.

Communiqué of the Inter-Orthodox Pre-Assembly Consultation which brought together representatives of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches to prepare for the WCC 10th Assembly.

Condolence letter to the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church

In a series of visits to the Toronto offices of WCC member churches in Canada, and in a lecture and panel discussion on the evening of Wednesday 14 March, the WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, explored contemporary hopes and challenges in the pursuit of Christian unity.

An International Theological Symposium was jointly organized by WCC-Just and Inclusive Communities, SCEPTRE, NCCI, Bishop's and Gossner Theological College from 13-16th December, 2011 at SCEPTRE, Shrachi Centre, 74B, A.J.C. Bose Road, Kolkata-16.

Message from the conference on "Violence in the Name of God? Joshua in changing contexts" in Hofgeismar, Germany, 23 to 27 February, 2012

Members of the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches send a message to the Syrian churches expressing solidarity and concern over the violence and political turmoil in Syria from their meeting in Bossey, Switzerland from 14 to 17 February 2012