“El medio ambiente no nos da; nosotros aportamos al medio ambiente”, dijo el Rev. Dr. Stavros Kofinas, coordinador de la Red del Patriarcado Ecuménico para la Pastoral de la Salud. Kofinas y el nuevo moderador de la Comisión de las Iglesias para la Salud y la Sanación del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), quien habló el 5 de marzo, durante un debate de tres comisiones del CMI.
The environment doesn't give to us; we provide to the environment, said Rev. Dr Stavros Kofinas, coordinator of the Network of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Pastoral Health Care. Kofinas, the new moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Health and Healing, spoke on 5 March, during a discussion by three WCC commissions.
In a message after COP28, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected more deeply on the disappointments, successes, and future agenda related to climate justice.
Aunque la vigésimo octava Conferencia de las Partes de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático (COP28) no logró producir un plan creíble para eliminar gradualmente los combustibles fósiles, todavía hay motivos para abrigar la esperanza de que el mundo podrá avanzar hacia la justicia climática, dijo el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias, el Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, al concluir la COP28.
Though COP28 failed to produce a credible plan to phase out fossil fuels, there is still reason for hope that the world can move toward climate justice, said World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay as COP28 concluded.
Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia, offered a keynote speech at the Christian Aid assembly in London on 20 November.
In September, the World Council of Churches (WCC), with the Colombian Episcopal Conference, United Nations Mission in Colombia, and Organization of American States, was appointed as a permanent accompanier for peace talks with the Estado Mayor Central FARC-EP in Colombia.
The Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Brazil was accredited as a “Blue University” in a ceremony during the Peoples’ Water Forum in Colombia on 26 September.
The Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Brazil is looking at how to transform into a “Blue University.” Brother Rogério Renato Mateucci, rector, confirmed the university’s commitment to become part of the global Blue Community network.
It is the first UN conference on water in almost 50 years. Taking place in New York from 22-24 March 2023, the “UN 2023 Water Conference” will be a key opportunity to influence and hopefully re-shape the global water discussion. Church and civil society activists are urging affected people, human rights defenders, social movements, and concerned leaders to raise their voices.
At the recently concluded World Social Forum in Mexico City, a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) reflected on ecological justice by addressing the nexus between water, food and climate change.
Berta Caceres was a well-known land rights defender who led a battle against a large dam on ancestral lands in Honduras. She was shot to death at her home in 2016. Recently the former president of the internationally financed dam company was found guilty over the assassination. Members of the WCC-Ecumenical Water Network (EWN) are worried that violence against activists who are taking a stand against the overexploitation of natural resources, like land and water, is on the rise. Unlike the murder of Berta Caceres, most attacks and killings go unpunished.
The World Council of Churches Vaccine Champions shared their reflections on the status of vaccines in their home contexts, as well as the important role churches are playing in moving toward vaccine equity.
El Comité Ejecutivo del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), reunido del 17 al 20 de mayo, marcó un tono de esperanza para el futuro mientras, al mismo tiempo, abordó múltiples crisis mundiales con declaraciones, mensajes pastorales y llamados a la oración.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, convening from 17-20 May, set a tone of hope for the future while, at the same time, addressing multiple global crises with statements, pastoral messages, and calls for prayer.
God’s creation groans in the Amazon forest, a sacred space for 34 million people suffering from the growth of inequality, land invasion, extractivism, relaxation of environmental laws, criminalization and murder of its defenders, and arson orchestrated by agribusiness—all of it made worse by proselytizing.
La Creación de Dios gime en la selva amazónica, un lugar sagrado donde treinta y cuatro millones de personas sufren a causa de la desigualdad creciente, la invasión de las tierras, el extractivismo, la relajación de las leyes medioambientales, la criminalización y asesinato de los activistas medioambientales y los incendios orquestados por las industrias agrícolas. Todo ello, agravado por el proselitismo.
A Criação de Deus padece na Floresta Amazônica, um espaço sagrado para 34 milhões de pessoas que sofrem com o crescimento da desigualdade, invasões de terras, extrativismo, relaxamento de leis ambientais, criminalização e assassinato de seus defensores/as e incêndios criminosos orquestrados pelo agronegócio. E tudo isso vem sido exacerbado pelo proselitismo.
As major challenges for the global economy are predicted in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a diverse group of faith institutions is putting the call for a just economic recovery into practice.
The Lutheran World Federation and Islamic Relief Worldwide issued on 11 May a call on all parties to lay down arms, institute an immediate ceasefire, and ensure humanitarian access in order to protect people from COVID-19.