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Witnessing the mighty river flow

What an incredible time to be living in! While skepticism and eco-anxiety tend to be the results we most see nowadays as we grow aware of the dimensions of the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity and the socio-environmental crisis, for me I can't help but feel the daring and stubborn Christian hope as I grow increasingly committed to ecumenical care for creation. 

How a meeting place became a sacred space

Two years ago, Andrés Pacheco Lozano defended his PhD. The title of his research was “Pilgrimage of Reconciliation: Relationship Between Communitarian Bible Reading.” Now, it was time to celebrate with a mini symposium "Communities of Faith Reading the Bible Across Cultures: A Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace.” For two days, 24 and 25 October, participants reflected on contextual and intercultural Bible reading at the Singelkerk and the Free University in Amsterdam.

Webinar “Remembering Past Massacres” with focus on Latin America

27 September 2021

An upcoming webinar, part of the ongoing Remembering Past Massacres” series, will focus on Latin America, with speakers reflecting on the atrocities committed against Indigenous populations in the name of Christianisation, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the ruthless military dictatorships in South America during the 1960s-80s, and the 1937 massacre of Haitians in the Dominican Republic.

Online

Indigenous peoples and the pandemic in the land of inequalities

476 million indigenous people live around the world, of which 11.5% live in our Latin American region. In these years that we are going from the COVID 19 pandemic in our territories (indigenous or tribal at the Latin American level), the presence of many extractive companies, mainly uranium and lithium, has increased, land traffickers and among other monoculture companies with fires for the cultivation of oil palm, logging, putting vulnerable peoples at greater risk than what is already experienced.

In Colombia, “what is happening is terribly painful”

Rev. Gloria Ulloa, World Council of Churches president for Latin America and the Caribbean, is in Cali, Colombia, with a delegation of DiPaz, the country’s main ecumenical peacebuilding platform. The group is having direct grassroots contact with the conflicts currently taking place. Ulloa and others hope to bring to light testimonies of peoples and communities usually forgotten by the big media.

Below is Ulloa's latest description on the ground.

“Conflict Zones and Covid-19” webinar

26 November 2020

A webinar hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 26 November will explore “Conflict Zones and Covid-19: A call to compassion.” Speakers from Cameroon, Nigeria, South Sudan, Lebanon, Belarus and Colombia will offer their insights on how conflict exacerbates the conditions for contracting and treating COVID-19 among civilians caught in the crossfire, especially women.

Regional Webinar on Racial Justice - South and Central America, and Spanish-Speaking Caribbean

28 October 2019

The thematic focus of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace (PJP) in 2019 is Racism.The WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), organises a series of eight WCC CCIA regional expert Webinars on the issue of racism and racial justice from August to December 2019. The aim of the webinars is to explore how racism manifests itself in the respective regions, learn about the work that churches and ecumenical partners are doing in this respect, identify synergies and avenues for possible collaboration.

On line

How difficult it is to go on a pilgrimage of peaceful coexistence

Over the last 5 years, the World Council of Churches has been following the process that led Colombia to a Peace Agreement. During these three years since its signing, the WCC has met with government agencies responsible for its implementation and heard reports from the UN Verification Mission, from the Kroc Institute, and from the Truth Commission and the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.

The Ecumenical International Youth Day| Transforming Education

12 August 2019

This year, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), in partnership with the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF), will observe together the International Youth Day (IYD) with the theme: “Transforming Education.” Youth are the future of the church, and they are great advocates for Christian unity. The WCC wants to empower young Christians to liven up the ecumenical movement.

The Ecumenical Centre

Seven Weeks for Water 2018

14 February - 30 March 2018

According to the Christian tradition, Lent is a time to prepare for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Christ. During this period many people engage in fasting and practice moderation or self-denial in order to focus on repentance and consecrating themselves to God. While water has a strong spiritual significance in the Christian tradition as a gift from God, this scarce resource is threatened and denied to millions around the world.

The World Council of Churches Ecumenical Water Network (WCC-EWN) invites you to use this season of Lent to reflect on water. Since 2008, EWN has been providing weekly theological reflections and other resources on water for the seven weeks of Lent and for World Water Day on 22 March.

Bogota, Colombia

Days of pain, days of hope

Passion for football is not unanimous in Brazil. Although the world seems to be convinced of the contrary, Brazilians have a wide range of feelings towards the sport. For some people, football is a true passion. But there are people among us who are indifferent towards football. And there are others who criticize the game severely. They are especially critical of fans' alleged refusal to acknowledge all the corruption that is involved in several institutional levels of organizations linked to this sport.

A new moment for Colombia

We have been breathing joy, optimism and excitement to promote a new way of being a country. 26 September was a very busy day for all of us who were invited to attend the official ceremony of the signing of the Colombia peace agreement, in Cartagena. As I met other participants, a strong common feeling of hope was present in every shake of hands, every hug and every look.

A “pilgrimage” to Colombia

“Prayer is our only answer.” Salvador and Samuel are crystal clear about it. Their faith is their defense against the violent threats they are suffering from in El Garzal, Colombia. It’s a kind of answer to the cruelties of the ongoing civil war in Colombia that shows a brave and hopeful way of living in peace.

United Church of Canada youth pilgrims inspired to be changemakers

This summer has undoubtedly been one of the most inspiring and eye-opening experiences of my entire life. On the 4th of July, 2015, a small group of youth from across the United Church of Canada gathered in Vancouver, on the Pacific coast of our nation. Along with our two adult coordinators, we would embark on a pilgrimage across Canada to reach Corner Brook, Newfoundland, on the Atlantic Coast, where we were to participate in the triennial general meeting of commissioners and delegates from across our Church: General Council.