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Green leaves depicted in front of blurry church towers and blue sky.

WCC commends Church of Sweden’s engagement for peace and justice

In a contribution to the Church of Sweden’s publication “150 Years of International Engagement,” World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay celebrates the church’s vital legacy and reflects on its evolving character.

15 February 2024

Feature story

A man standing up hands a pair of woven gloves to a man sitting down, both dressed in religious garb.

Finnish bishop meets Pope Francis, gifts gloves “to keep warm in a cold world”

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.”

22 January 2024

Report

Report of the General Secretary to the WCC Central Committee, June 2023

Report of the WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay to the WCC Central Committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, 21 - 27 June 2023.

21 June 2023

Central Committee

Eine Pilgerin für den Frieden: Agnes Abuom mit 73 Jahren gestorben

Die geliebte ökumenische Leiterin und unermüdliche Friedensstifterin Dr. Agnes Abuom ist im Alter von 73 Jahren in ihrem Heimatland Kenia nach kurzer Krankheit gestorben.

05 June 2023

Peace Pilgrim Agnes Abuom dies at 73

Beloved ecumenical leader and indefatigable peacemaker Dr Agnes Abuom has died at the age of 73 in her native Kenya, following a short illness.

01 June 2023

Bishop Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the WCC central committee, Pope Francis, and Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC general secretary, during the meeting at the Vatican on 23 March.

WCC, Roman Catholic Church underscore commitment to walking, praying, working together

During a visit with Pope Francis in Rome on 23 March, a World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation and the Roman Catholic Church committed to walking, praying. and working together for justice, reconciliation, and unity.

23 March 2023

Interview

Ecumenical theology at chapel, classroom, and office: Odair Pedroso Mateus reflects on serving the WCC

Rev. Dr Odair Pedroso Mateus began to teach at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute in 2004 and joined the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 2007. Most recently he served as WCC interim deputy general secretary and Faith and Order director. Below, he reflects on his fondest memories, accomplishments, and hopes.

08 February 2023

Feature story

A not aspired career that just happened

Attending the worship service on Sundays was often the highlight of the week for Archbishop em. Dr Anders Wejryd when he grew up. It still is. But becoming a priest was not something he envisaged.

30 November 2022

WCC-ExCom-EC-IvarsKupcis-08112022 - 1.jpeg

WCC executive committee concludes meeting with clear path toward peace, justice, and reconciliation

The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, elected during the WCC 11th Assembly, has concluded its first meeting, held 7-12 November at the Ecumenical Institute Bossey and at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland.

17 November 2022

WCC appoints Dr Andrej Jeftić as new director of Commission on Faith and Order

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has appointed Dr Andrej Jeftić as the new director of the Commission on Faith and Order.

14 November 2022

Christian Witness and Action for Human Dignity and Human Rights (statement)

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

(Luke 4:18-19)

The current global context is marked by escalating conflicts, divisions, inequalities, resurgent racism, xenophobic attacks on migrants, antisemitism, violations of the rights of women and other forms of discrimination, threats against human rights defenders, as well as authoritarianism, populist nationalism, and religious and other forms of extremism, that threaten grave peril for the physical security and human dignity and rights of diverse communities and individuals around the world.

12 November 2022

Executive committee

Message

Keynote speech of the WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca at the Ecumenical peace conversation

Keynote speech of the World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca at the Ecumenical peace conversation, Seoul, Korea, 11 October 2022.

11 October 2022

General Secretary

WCC elects executive committee

The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee elected the WCC executive committee on 8 September during the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe.

09 September 2022

War in Ukraine, Peace and Justice in the European Region

"War in Ukraine, Peace and Justice in the European Region", statement by the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany

08 September 2022

Assembly

The Living Planet: Seeking a Just and Sustainable Global Community

"The Living Planet: Seeking a Just and Sustainable Global Community", Statement by the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany

08 September 2022

Assembly

WCC 11th Assembly opens—and “nothing can separate us from God's love”

The World Council of Churches 11th Assembly began its assembly in the German city of Karlsruhe on 31 August, with Dr Agnes Abuom opening the gathering, her last as moderator.

01 September 2022

Dr Agnes Abuom reflects on “compassionate love, inclusivity and dignity”—for all

As the World Council of Churches (WCC) focuses on final preparations for the upcoming WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, WCC moderator Dr Agnes Abuom offered some personal reflections on her leadership role within the WCC, the importance of ecumenical work, the loss of ecumenical luminary Metropolitan Gennadios of Sasima, and the most vital part of her own Christian faith.

25 August 2022