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The world’s religions aspire to peace. However it is a sad fact that they are often involved in conflict and violence. This paradox was the subject of intense discussion at a multi-faith consultation on violence, peace and religions held in June. Forty participants – Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, North and South America – gathered for eight days at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, near Geneva. The elimination of violence, they declared, is a challenge to all religions. The consultation was the first in a series on the topic of religions and violence to be organized by the Ecumenical Institute.

The Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the World Council of Churches (WCC) will shortly hold its final plenary meeting. The Commission will meet 27 May - 2 June in Järvenpää, Finland, not far from Helsinki. The results of three years of work will be presented by the Special Commission in a final report to the WCC Central Committee, which meets this year 26 August - 3 September in Geneva, Switzerland.

The first meeting of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC), held in Lausanne on 3 August 1927, had very high hopes. Participants believed that the goal of visible unity of the churches was really attainable.

by Sara Speicher

cf. WCC Press Release, PR-01-49, of 21 December 2001

The forthcoming meeting of the executive committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) will be held in Nyborg, Denmark, 19-22 February at the invitation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark and of the Church of Denmark's Council on International Relations. It is the first time since the WCC's eighth assembly, in Harare, Zimbabwe, 1998, that the WCC executive committee is meeting outside Geneva.