Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia, led a delegation that visited Colombia on 8-11 August to express solidarity with the Colombian churches, government and people as they collaborate in the design, implementation, and advocacy for the construction of peace in the country. Below, he shares his impressions of the visit.
A graduation ceremony marked the end of an intensive course in interreligious studies for seven students from six different countries who lived together at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. The theme of this year’s program was “Health and wholeness of life in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.”
Speaking on behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC) at a “Churches Together South Australia” event on 13 August, WCC director of international affairs Peter Prove offered an address on “Imagining a Safer World.”
Graduates of the 2023 Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey sent a message to the world as they completed their academic pursuits and prepared to return to their diverse homes and faith traditions.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay met with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, discussing peace initiatives across the globe—and the role of the WCC and South African leaders.
In a keynote address at the International Conference for Reconciliation in Colombia, Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia, reflected on “Ecumenical Experiences and Learnings in the Construction of the Peace.”
With a visit to Colombia on 8-11 August, a World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation will express solidarity with the Colombian government, churches, and people as they collaborate in the design, implementation, and advocacy for the construction of peace in the country.
Today, as 247 million people are facing stress concerning food security, and 24 million people are either on the brink of famine or facing famine, the Russian Federation withdrawing from the Black Sea Grain initiative is catastrophic for global food security.
A “Framework for Dialogue” coordinated in Uganda by the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiatives and Advocacy Programme and its partners has given rise to new activities and relationships that have the potential to reduce stigma related to HIV.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is urging a renewal of a Joint Ecumenical Peace Appeal—one that calls for, among other actions toward peace, an immediate formal declaration of the end of the Korean War.
In a letter to Colombian president H.E. Gustavo Petro Urrego on 28 July, WCC general secretary Rev. Prof Dr Jerry Pillay expressed deep appreciation for the Colombian government’s initiatives for peace.
Vandalism targeting churches, cemeteries, and Christian properties in addition to physical and verbal abuse against Christian clergy have increased in the past months in the Holy Land, amid ongoing political tensions within Israeli society.
A panel discussion during the International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science in Brisbane, Australia, explored “Leadership, communication, and science: A three-dimensional pandemic response?” The panel was part of the closing ceremony held 26 July.
Iranian rector Ayatollah M. Seyyed Abolhassan Nawab and Ms Zahra Sedigh, from the Iranian Mission to the UN,visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 27 July, discussing education and formation, as well as the importance of strengthening the role of interreligious cooperation.
An ecumenical global prayer on 28 July expressed solidarity, hope, and lament as the people and churches of Sudan continue to exist amid conflict and violence.
The annual interreligious summer course opened in the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute at Bossey on 25 July, ushering seven students from six different countries into an exploration of the theme “Health and Wholeness of Life in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.”
The World Council of Churches (WCC) will be represented at the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) World Assembly on 2-10 August in Jakarta, Indonesia.
A World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation led by WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Pillay visited New York City and Washington, DC this week, meeting with United Nations representatives, the Papal Nuncio, the National Council of Churches in North America, other church leaders, and ecumenical organizations and state officials.
The launch of the document “Building Interreligious Solidarity in Our Wounded World. The Way of Common Formation” will take place on 28 July, during the Interreligious Studies course at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, and will be livestreamed on the YouTube channel of the World Council of Churches (WCC).
