Search results

Aboriginal representatives of Canadian churches, devastated by residential school scandals which have resulted in lawsuits against them totaling millions of dollars, told Rev. Dr Sam Kobia, WCC general secretary, that they must work together ecumenically if they are to bring hope and healing to the country’s First Nations, most of whom have had church connections for centuries.

WCC is a co-founder and sponsor of Ecumenical News International (ENI) which was launched in 1994 as a global news service reporting on ecumenical developments and other news of the churches. WCC communication covers the life and work of the organization and its activities. This special feature article is issued jointly by ENI, the WCC and the other sponsoring organizations to mark the 10th anniversary of ENI. Further information on: http:// www.eni.ch .

> Samuel Kobia to Canada

Free photo available, see below.

To "expose and inspire" the US churches' witness to "the power and promise of peace" is the aim of events being organized in October in Atlanta, Georgia, by the US Conference for the World Council of Churches (WCC).

The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) enters its second year of operations by welcoming 25 new accompaniers, the largest group since the project started in August 2002. Three have also stayed on from the previous group, bringing the total number of accompaniers on the ground to 28.

A 27 September ceremony in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva will be an opportunity for the ecumenical community to celebrate the contributions of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Programme to Combat Racism (PCR), and to honour its first director, Baldwin Sjollema.

The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) will organize a hearing in New York City on "International nonviolent presence in Palestine and Israel: Churches and civil society promoting a just peace". The panel of speakers will include three EAPPI volunteers, from the USA, South Africa and Sweden.

In observance of the International Day of Prayer for Peace and the International Day of Peace , the World Council of Churches in collaboration with the World Peace Day Association is inviting the local and international community in Geneva to join a

Broadcast quality video messages available, see below.

Friday, 24 September at 11:15 am

By Norman A. Hjelm (*)

It was with "deep sadness" that the World Council of Churches (WCC) received news of the "tragic accident in which Pope Petros VII, Greek Orthodox patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa and other members of the Patriarchate, including bishops, priests and lay staff, lost their lives".

The general secretaries of eight regional ecumenical bodies and of the World Council of Churches (WCC) have sent a letter to UN secretary-general Kofi Annan "reaffirming the deep desire" of their organisations and member churches "to support the United Nations" and the person of its secretary-general "at this critical time on the world scene".

By Martin Smedjeback *