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Priest dressed in white clothes presiding over a church service inside a stone church.

As the world order breaks down, “Jerusalem is to start again”

Father Frans Bouwen, a priest in the Catholic church who has been living and working for ecumenism in Jerusalem since 1969, has a stark description of the situation in Palestine and Israel today.

14 March 2024

News

World Conference on Faith and Order in 2025 will mark anniversary of the Council of Nicaea

The Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC), marking the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, is to take place in Egypt in October 2025 at the invitation of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

23 November 2023

Event

Exhibition “Bethlehem Reborn – Palestine – The Wonders of the Nativity”

12 September - 05 October 2023

The exhibition “Bethlehem Reborn” tells a story that goes beyond the history of politics and art to reveal, through the restoration works of the Church of the Nativity, an overdue recognition of the outstanding universal value of Palestinian heritage to humanity.

Ecumenical Center, Geneva, Switzerland

Feature story

First-ever Regional Ecumenical Theological Institute in Cairo was “a place where we were all connecting”

The World Council of Churches (WCC), in partnership with the Association of Theological Institutes and Faculties in the Middle East (ATIME) and the Middle East Council of Churches, held the first-ever Regional Ecumenical Theological Institute in Cairo under the theme “Respect for Creation is the Glorification of the Creator.”

18 August 2023

Interview

For Cypriot metropolitan, the recent history of Cyprus is “painful”

World Council of Churches (WCC) president for Eastern Orthodox Churches Metropolitan Vasilios of Ammochostos has three-quarters of his diocese on the island of Cyprus under Turkish occupation, but no Christians are still living in the occupied part.

30 June 2023

News

Report on sanctions impact launched at the UN Human Rights Council

Sanctions should not harm the support for the most vulnerable, says a report on the impact of sanctions on humanitarian work presented at a side-event of 52nd session at the Human Rights Council of the United Nations in Geneva on 10 March.

10 March 2023

Feature story

Ecumenical Accompaniers complete their service in Holy Land with “different perspectives of justice”

A group of Ecumenical Accompaniers completed their service in Palestine and Israel, handing their ministry over to the next wave, and celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity at the same time.

02 February 2023

News

Historic meeting between Syriac patriarchs brings joint statement of cooperation and unity

A historic meeting between the patriarchs of Syriac heritage upon invitation from H.H. Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, the Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, has resulted in a joint statement to guide future action to keep the ancient Syriac tradition in the Middle East and other lands.

19 December 2022

News

Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel completes annual meeting, commemorates 20 years

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) completed its annual meeting from 21-26 November, and also commemorated its 20th anniversary.

25 November 2022

Feature story

WCC delegation meets Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II

WCC delegation visits Syria, expresses solidarity with those who “remain steadfast in their land”

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca visited Syria, alongside the Middle East Council of Churches secretary general Dr Michel Abs, the general secretary of ACT Alliance Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, and WCC senior advisor on peace building Michel Nseir.

21 July 2022

News

WCC acting general secretary at Holy Cross church in Damascus: “We think of you, we pray for you, we care for you”

As Patriarch John X headed the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Cross church in Damascus in Syria, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca shared a message on behalf of a WCC-led delegation visiting the country for the first time since 2008.

13 July 2022

News

Jerusalem landscape with the flags of Israel

Regarding false media reporting on Israel and Dr Pillay

Since the election in mid-June of Rev. Dr Prof. Jerry Pillay as new World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, concerns have been raised, predominantly in Jewish media, about his position on Israel and the Jewish communities and their faith.

23 June 2022

News

WCC Inter-Orthodox Pre-Assembly: “the call for unity, reconciliation, justice, and peace remains our mission today"

An Inter-Orthodox Pre-Assembly held last week affirmed “the utmost importance of love” and a “call for unity, reconciliation, justice, and peace,” according to a communique jointly released from the 50 participants, which included delegates from 20 Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches.

16 May 2022

Photo essay

People in a group walking and conversing.

Hospitality at heart, in bringing Orthodox family together

With the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11^th Assembly less than four months away, the Church of Cyprus serves as host as the WCC brings Orthodox churches together for an Inter-Orthodox Pre-Assembly Consultation on 9-16 May.

12 May 2022

News

WCC calls for freedom of access to worship in the Holy Land and preservation of the Status Quo of Jerusalem

Following an 11 April statement of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressing grave concerns over announced police restrictions on Holy Fire Saturday, the World Council of Churches (WCC) strongly condemned such measures restricting access to places of worship as violations of religious freedom in the Holy Land.

12 April 2022

Feature story

Unity is key when health crisis poses new challenges in Asia

As the COVID-19 pandemic slowly fades, its severe impact on people’s lives lingers on throughout Asia and the rest of the world. In addition to the sufferings and tragic losses of lives caused by the virus, hopes for a brighter future have been dimmed by social isolation, economic recession, increased unemployment and poverty.

28 February 2022

Feature story

"Voices from Bethlehem” webinar reflects on Christian unity in the birthplace of Jesus

A recent webinar, “Voices from Bethlehem: Christian Unity in the Birthplace of Jesus,” organized by the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome and the Methodist Liaison Office Jerusalem, offered a discussion of the importance of Christian unity in contemporary times in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus.

28 January 2022

Blog post

Marine life in Sri Lanka threatened by environmental disaster

Concerns on environmental issues have become the centre of debates in many forums around the globe. There are many organisations and individuals, including religious organisations, that have engaged in the mission of protecting the environment.

16 December 2021

Rev. Prince Neushan

News

A Middle Eastern landscape under a night sky full of stars, with a bright lightshining above a small house on the horizon.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022: “We saw the star in the East…”

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.

08 July 2021

News

Middle East region reflects on ‘continued holy witness’ and the road towards upcoming WCC assembly

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.

25 June 2021