At the "World of Work, Place of Hope" event held in Rome on 2 May, faith leaders, economists, and labour representatives gathered to address the intertwined challenges of climate justice and dignified work. Among the speakers, Athena Peralta, director of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, highlighted a critical upcoming milestone: COP30 and its focus on just transition.
People in Ukraine observed their fourth Easter since the Russian invasion of their nation. Oleksandra Kovalenko, a member of the Ukrainian delegation at the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, and Valentyn Hrebennyk, a graduate of the WCC Ecumenical Institute at Bossey shares their Easter experience and encourages the WCC fellowship to continue praying for people of Ukraine.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the Faiths for Biodiversity coalition and the ecumenical Season of Creation team, invites you to a critical webinar addressing the unprecedented ecological crisis. With species extinction rates up to 1,000 times higher than natural levels and approximately one million animal and plant species threatened, this event will explore the moral and spiritual dimensions of biodiversity loss and present pathways for faith communities to take meaningful action through prayer and transformative repentance.
During a panel discussion held during Kirchentag in Hannover, Germany, Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace, shared the WCC’s journey and commitment to economic and ecological justice—from its early prophetic foundations to the forthcoming launch of the Ecumenical Decade for Climate Action (2025–2035).
In a landmark gathering addressing the spiritual dimensions of the ecological crisis, Christian leaders from Eastern and Western traditions convened in Assisi, Italy, to develop a shared liturgical Feast of Creation. The three-day conference from 5-7 May marks a significant step toward establishing what Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm described as "a wonderful expression of the trinitarian essence that unites us as churches" and a powerful spiritual response to the urgent climate challenges facing our planet.
As the world mourned the death of Pope Francis, voices from the World Council of Churches (WCC) fellowship brought forth special memories, deep gratitude, and heartfelt prayers.
World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay commemorated the 160th anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan with special greetings reflecting on the anniversary theme “Dwelling in God`s Abundance.” On 23 April 2025, Pillay preached during a service commemorating the anniversary.
It is with profound joy that I extend to Your All-Holiness, on behalf of the World Council of Churches, our warmest congratulations upon the wonderful news that Your All-Holiness has been chosen to receive the 2025 Templeton Prize.
Faith leaders warn that the global concentration of wealth and power has reached "unprecedented" and "alarming" levels, exacerbating inequality, undermining democracy, and accelerating climate catastrophe. The ecumenical call to action came in a joint communique issued today following a three-day meeting in Geneva of the Ecumenical Panel on a New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA).
On 10 April, the John Templeton Foundation, in collaboration with the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust, announced that the Templeton Prize Laureate for 2025 is His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
The Feast of Creation initiative represents a profound ecumenical opportunity as Christian churches worldwide consider elevating 1 September from a World Day of Prayer for Creation to a liturgical feast across denominations. A key milestone in this journey will be the upcoming Nicaea Centenary and Creation Day Conference in Assisi in May, where church actors will discuss pathways in this important process. A new WCC podcast explores the vision of the Feast of Creation initiative, highlighting its significance as a potential gesture of Christian unity and ecological commitment.
The sixth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2025 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Prof. Mathew Koshy of Church of South India. In this reflection, inspired by the Psalm104, he argues that the life giving resource, the water of life, plays a vital role in the “divine choreography” with other elements in God’s creation to sustain life. He then invites us to renew our participation in the “cosmic dance of life”—where water flows freely, justly, and joyfully. Furthermore, he illustrates the Church of South India’s good practices in this endeavour.
The Second Africa-Europe Ecumenical Forum on Migration was held 17-21 March in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, organized by the All Africa Conference of Churches and the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME).
Rev. Peter Adewale Adenekan, from Nigeria, is a master's student at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. He is focusing his research on the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development. He reflects on what led him on this unique scholarly path, and his hopes for change.
The third reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2025 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Jocabed Reina Solano Miselis, a daughter of the Gunadule nation in Panama. Being an Indigenous activist, she juxtaposes the indigenous spirituality and their integral connection with the nature, the “Achachilas” with the unsatiable desire of humans to exploit the nature for its resources, driven by capitalism. She introduces us to the indigenous belief system which is based on the reciprocity of mother earth and human beings, caring for each other.
On the occasion of the 85th birthday of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary and WCC moderator of the central committee Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm expressed deep gratitude in a special letter.
