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‘Walking, praying and working together’ was the theme of Pope Francis’ 21 June visit to Geneva to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). Among those listening to the Pope's words was Pentecostal pastor Rev. Frank Chikane, one of the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa.

Relations between Catholics and Protestants at the local level in East Indonesia are not as complex as talking about dogma at higher church levels, says a pastor from the Protestant Church in Maluku.

A book published this month by the World Council of Churches (WCC) offers reflections by Christians about what it means to be involved in efforts to contribute to peace and justice initiatives in their home context.

Speakers at a world conference on human rights and religion at the United Nations in Geneva, including the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, have stressed the need for equal citizenship rights to counter xenophobia and discrimination.

To mark the visit of Pope Francis to the WCC on 21 June, a special online “Virtual Issue” of the WCC’s quarterly journal, The Ecumenical Review, is offering a set of articles about relationships between the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Francis has praised the ecumenical atmosphere of his visit to Geneva to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and has said work by churches for peace is a mandate from God in a world threatened by crises.

Pope Francis joined the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the moderator of its Central Committee at an ecumenical meeting during his landmark 21 June visit to the WCC to celebrate its 70th anniversary at an ecumenical meeting in Geneva.

The thirst for material things blinds human beings to their companions and that indifference abounds in the world’s streets today, Pope Francis said in a homily at the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva today.

Pope Francis has arrived in Geneva on what he has described as a “voyage towards unity” to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches, which brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries.

The Ecumenical Institute Bossey, which Pope Francis visits on Thursday, 21 June, as part of his pilgrimage to the World Council of Churches in Geneva, is a workshop of ideas, where the future path toward Christian unity is being mapped out.

Bishop Brian Farrell has been a key figure on the ecumenical scene since his appointment as secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in 2002.
Over that time he has attended most of the major events in the life of the WCC, including the last assembly in South Korea and the recent Conference on World Mission and Evangelism in Tanzania.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee has decided to pursue plans for the WCC 11th Assembly in 2021 in Karlsruhe, Germany.

In a plenary session on “The Living Fellowship” at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee meeting on 20 June, the WCC marked achievements from its past 70 years in working for Christian unity and action, and also looked ahead at challenges.

Observing the 70th anniversary of the founding of the World Council of Churches (WCC) brings special focus and heightened attention to this year’s Central Committee meeting, 15-21 June in Geneva.

Most South Africans know of Brigalia Bam as chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), where she served from 1999 to 2011. Previously secretary general of the South African Council of Churches, and already an IEC commissioner, she was chosen by then-President Nelson Mandela from the list of parliamentary nominees for this critical role. In a country that had recently been on the brink of racial civil war, she guided South Africans with humour, tolerance and impartiality along the path of inclusive democracy.

The pastor of a Protestant congregation in Geneva is excited that Pope Francis has accepted the invitation to join in celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches.

“This is a pope who is open, inclusive, and engaged and speaks about things that are important to Christians and all humanity. His visit encourages and supports unity in the body of Christ,” says Rev. Andy Willis, pastor of the English-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church of Geneva. “I am personally profoundly excited by what he represents.”

In a powerful symbol of unity, Christians from North and South Korea sang together yesterday during celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The Koreans linked arms to sing the 600-year-old folk song Arirang that is the unofficial anthem of Korea – the united Korea that existed until civil war divided the country in the 1950s.

Representatives of churches worldwide gathered at Geneva’s St Pierre Cathedral for a service of celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), at which His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew urged continued efforts for unity, justice and peace.

Work for the unity of the church is inseparable from work for the unity of the human community and the whole of creation, according to the director of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Scholars and students around the world will soon have access to a unique collection of documents that relate to the search for Christian unity online, instead of having to visit the archives in Geneva of the World Council of Churches (WCC) to seek out texts that are often difficult to obtain elsewhere.