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During the World Council of Churches (WCC) leadership delegation visit to Ukraine in May, an ecumenical prayer service was held in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on 12 May. The service, led by the WCC leadership, WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC moderator Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, with participation of members of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), took place at St Andrew Orthodox Church in Bucha.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay denounced continuing attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Russia’s ongoing illegal war against the people of Ukraine.

During its travels in Moscow, a World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation visited the Humanitarian Aid Center, a church initiative which started in March 2022, after the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Most of the refugees from Ukraine who arrive in Moscow have friends or relatives in the Russian capital. Nevertheless, their need is great. Around 500 people knock at the door of the Refugee Centre every day. At the refugee drop-in centre, they receive daily necessities, basic food, products for personal hygiene and, if they do have children, the necessary basic equipment for them. Many of the people who come to the drop-in centre suffer from psychological problems and traumatic experiences. After initial treatment, they are referred to professionals.

The world faces a global crisis on food exacerbated and brought to the fore by the war in Ukraine, but humanity can and must take remedial steps in economic and climate justice, a World Council of Churches-led meeting has heard.

World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, upon hearing reports that give stronger indications of grave violations of international law in Ukraine, expressed abhorrence at these reported atrocities, and called for full investigation.

In a letter to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, and Volodymyr Oleksandrovytch Zelensky, president of Ukraine, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca urged the leaders to listen to the cries of their own faithful people.

After a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and ACT Alliance visited Hungary, Romania and Ukraine last week, the group came away with reflections on how churches are making a difference in the lives of thousands upon thousands of people fleeing the war.

In a response to a letter from First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed both his appreciation for her candid reflections as well as his own pain at the ongoing and increasingly grave humanitarian consequences of the conflict.

A delegation from ACT Alliance  and the World Council of Churches (WCC) visited Hungary, Ukraine and Romania on 14-18 March, focusing on humanitarian needs and church response.

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca appealed for an immediate end to indiscriminate attacks with an escalating impact on civilians in Ukraine.

In a letter to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow on 2 March, World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca asked the patriarch to mediate so that the war between Russia and Ukraine can be stopped.

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.

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, on behalf of WCC member churches throughout the world, urgently appealed for peace for the people of Ukraine.

Hundreds of high-ranking Russian orthodox clergy along with representatives of some other churches, government and state institutions gathered for a Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral Church of Christ the Saviour in Moscow on 1 February, celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Local Council and enthronement of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The WCC general secretary issued a statement urging the international community to put an end to the “culture of impunity” in Syria. The statement comes on the heels of news reports from Syria of an air strike that targeted the Kammouneh Syrian refugee camp, killing at least 28 people and severely injuring dozens of others.

“I write in a moment of great sadness, extending my deep and heartfelt condolences for all those who died in the tragic airplane crash occurring in the Sinai desert in the early morning of October 31,” wrote WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit in a letter of condolence addressed to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

The WCC remembers today, 24 April, the 1.5 million Armenian victims – children, women and men – who died 100 years ago.