The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee convened 12-16 May via video conference to complete regular business of the first half of the year; review preparations for the WCC central committee meeting, which will convene 18-24 June in Johannesburg, South Africa; and issue public statements and minutes about some of the world’s most pressing issues.
As Pope Leo XIV presided over the Mass of Inauguration on 18 May, he urged the world to walk toward God and to love one another—a message that resonated deeply with the World Council of Churches (WCC) leaders who attended the mass as well as a private ecumenical audience with Pope Leo on 19 May.
In a report before the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the WCC central committee, reflected on the urgent need for peace, the hope found in a common Easter, and the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and others whose lives still inspire and uphold the ecumenical movement.
Moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay will attend the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV, to be held 18 May in St Peter’s Square.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) extended condolences to the Pillay family upon the passing of Annapurani Pillay, mother of WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay.
In a report before the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the WCC central committee, reflected on the urgent need for peace, the hope found in a common Easter, and the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and others whose lives still inspire and uphold the ecumenical movement.
In his report to the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected on what it means—amid wars, rumours of wars, violence, trade wars, climate catastrophes, retaliations, and the quest for self-protection and preservation of identity—to be God’s family.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee will convene 12-16 May via video conference to conduct the regular business of the first half of the year. The executive committee will also review preparations for the WCC central committee meeting, which will convene 18-24 June in Johannesburg, South Africa.
In a letter to Pope Leo XIV, World Council of Churches (WCC) moderator of the central committee Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended heartfelt greetings and congratulations.
In a letter to Pope Leo XIV, World Council of Churches (WCC) moderator of the central committee Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended heartfelt greetings and congratulations.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) extended ecumenical greetings to Pope Leo XIV and an assurance of continuing engagement with the Roman Catholic Church in the era of its new pontiff.
In a landmark gathering addressing the spiritual dimensions of the ecological crisis, Christian leaders from Eastern and Western traditions convened in Assisi, Italy, to develop a shared liturgical Feast of Creation. The three-day conference from 5-7 May marks a significant step toward establishing what Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm described as "a wonderful expression of the trinitarian essence that unites us as churches" and a powerful spiritual response to the urgent climate challenges facing our planet.
In a conversation held on 2 May that drew repeated applause from the large audience at Kirchentag in Hanover, Germany, Bishop Marianne Edgar Budde, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC, and Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the World Council of Churches central committee, reflected together on how churches, with courage and unity, can stand up for justice.
After more than two years of visioning and planning, the long-held dream of creating a dynamic, connected network for the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute at Bossey alumni and ecumenical partners became a reality.
A pope guided by “the conviction that the church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open.” That was how Pope Francis was remembered at his funeral in St Peter’s Square by Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the Roman Catholic Church’s college of cardinals, who led the Requiem Mass.
World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee moderator Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay will attend the funeral of Pope Francis on 26 April in Rome.
In a pastoral letter on the death of Pope Francis, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay and WCC central committee moderator Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm expressed both deep sorrow and unwavering hope upon the passing of Pope Francis on 21 April.
In a pastoral letter on the death of Pope Francis, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed both deep sorrow and unwavering hope upon the passing of Pope Francis on 21 April.
