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The Middle East Council of Churches held its 12th General Assembly on 16-20 May in Egypt, exploring the theme “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.”

A message from the gathering touches upon many challenges facing the Middle East.

 

World Council of Churches (WCC) specialized ministries and roundtable partners are gathering on 3-4 May at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute for a “Working Together” meeting filled with a spirit of interconnected learning and preparation for the WCC 11th Assembly.

In a letter to H.H. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia on 19 April, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca urged Patriarch Kirill to “intervene and ask publicly for a ceasefire for at least few hours during the Resurrection service.”

The National Council of Churches in Korea has published a “2022 Easter Prayer for Peace and Reunification on the Korean Peninsula” with a message of reconciliation and unity.

World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, upon hearing reports that give stronger indications of grave violations of international law in Ukraine, expressed abhorrence at these reported atrocities, and called for full investigation.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) convened an ecumenical roundtable consultation on the situation in Ukraine, which took place 30 March at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute.

In a letter to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, and Volodymyr Oleksandrovytch Zelensky, president of Ukraine, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca urged the leaders to listen to the cries of their own faithful people.

In a response to a letter from First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed both his appreciation for her candid reflections as well as his own pain at the ongoing and increasingly grave humanitarian consequences of the conflict.

Hosting refugees, providing food, helping in hospitals, and ringing church bells as a warning when shelling starts—these are some of the many ways churches are responding in Ukraine and bordering countries as the war continues. More than two million people have poured out of Ukraine, and estimates from relief groups show that 18 million people—a third of the country’s population—will need humanitarian assistance.

In a letter to Patriarch Kirill of Moscow on 2 March, World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca asked the patriarch to mediate so that the war between Russia and Ukraine can be stopped.

In an “Address to the Faithful and Citizens of Ukraine” on 24 February, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate) candidly addressed the current situation: “Trouble has happened,” he said. “Most regrettably, Russia has started military actions against Ukraine, and at this fateful time, I urge you not to panic, be courageous and show love for your homeland and for one another.”

The World Council of Churches denounces any and every use of deadly armed force to resolve disputes that could be resolved by dialogue.