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The Middle East Council of Churches, based in Beirut, Lebanon, has been the convener for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022 drafting group. The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Vatican have now published the material in several languages.

A webinar on moral discernment, held in June, presented a new study document approved by the World Council of Churches Faith and Order Commission earlier this year.

The study document “Churches and Moral Discernment: Facilitating Dialogue to Build Koinonia,” harvests the fruits of the study process which began in 2015.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order initiated a new webinar series to discuss responses to its second convergence document “The Church: Towards a Common Vision,” published in 2013.

Meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican on 25 June, both the Lutheran World Federation president Archbishop Dr Panti Filibus Musa and Pope Francis expressed the hope that the 500th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession in 2030 can become common ground on which to strengthen the commitment of Lutherans and Catholics to unity and reconciliation.

The Baptist World Alliance and Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity have resumed their international dialogue after a hiatus due to the COVID-19.  In two working sessions held on 16 and 18 June, the two organizations reviewed the work of their first three annual meetings, envisioned how work will continue, renewed relationships and engaged in common prayer.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) wrapped up its 65th central committee meeting in Geneva on 29 June, its first online session with many of proceedings carried out via video conference, and the moderator Dr Agnes Abuom declaring “we have agreed, basically, on the programme for 11th Assembly.”

With 124 of 155 central committee members and presidents from around the world present, the WCC central committee convened to advance preparations for the 11th WCC Assembly, taking place in 2022 in Karlsruhe, Germany under the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” The central committee also addressed membership matters and strengthened the WCC fellowship through prayer and sharing. 

The forthcoming 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) is an opportunity for churches to proclaim a message of the good news of love and liberation, according the moderator of the WCC central committee, Dr Agnes Abuom.

The hopes for better times to come in the aftermath of the pandemic were evident when World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee members from the Asia region gathered online 24 June to share recent experiences and prepare for a productive WCC assembly next year.

In a special message to World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee received on 27 June, H.B. John X, patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and all the East, affirmed “closeness in prayer, and in accompanying the work of the meeting through the communication with the devoted delegates of the Holy and Apostolic Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East.”

Democracy at risk, increasing cases of violence against women and the threats to children's futures. A regional meeting with church representatives from Latin America during the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee 2021 showed that pre-pandemic problems now hit harder the vulnerable communities.

Gathered on 24 June as part of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee meeting, representatives from churches and ecumenical organizations in the Middle East took stock of old and new challenges in the region where Christianity itself originated, reflecting on the contributions Middle Eastern Christians can make at the upcoming WCC 11th Assembly. 

A new joint publication, “Mapping Migration, Mapping Churches’ Response in Europe,” has been released by the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) and World Council of Churches (WCC).

World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca extended warm congratulations to Rev. Anne Burghardt, who will serve as the new general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The election of Rev. Anne Burghardt marks  the first woman and the first Central and Eastern European pastor to head the LWF.