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As a photo exhibition from the Marshall Islands opened at the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 8 March, speakers offered a stark overview of the damage done by nuclear testing—as well as the resilience and determination of the Marshallese people to pursue justice. 

Churches from the Pacific Islands and across the world continued to voice their prayers of support and care as Tonga copes with the aftermath of the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano on 14 January, which triggered 15-metre tsunami waves that hit the archipelago.

Greeks have watched their country burn, knowing that the flames also consume many other parts of the world, says the Church of Greece.

The fourth edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School on Water, Food and Climate Justice will be held 18-24 January 2021 in the Pacific region in five countries (Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Tuvalu & Solomon Islands).

A dozen global and regional religious organizations released an advocacy statement on the situation of migrants and refugees in Europe that defines their calling as Christians to “welcome the stranger,” and urges the creation of a world in which “we become human together.”

Rev. Fr Dr Lawrence Iwuamadi is dean of the Ecumenical Institute, the graduate school which opened its academic year this week. Below, Iwuamadi reflects on the arrival of new students at the Ecumenical Institute during this remarkable time.

Dr Torsten Moritz, general secretary of Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe, expressed his dismay at the fire that has destroyed the Moria camp, leaving 13,000 migrants without a home. He urged Europe to end—once and for all—the “hotspot” approach to sheltering migrants.

In a pastoral letter marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Rev. James Bhagwan, general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC), reflected on what a “renewal” of our normal might offer Pacific churches and communities.

A German delegation comprised of representatives of municipalities, church leaders and prominent civil society organizations recently visited the Greek island of Lesbos, already hosting tens of thousands of migrants and displaced people, and was on site when the news of the opening of the Turkish border was announced and the first new arrivals were appearing.

Christian Aid has commissioned composers and musicians from around the world to create a new orchestral theme inspired by the climate crisis.

The 12-minute piece, Song of the Prophets: A Requiem for the Climate, is being composed by Chineke! — said to be the first majority-black and minority ethnic orchestra in Europe. It will have its première in St Paul’s Cathedral during Christian Aid Week (12-18 May).

WCC News met with the Very Reverend Archimandrite Dr Alexi Chehadeh, who leads the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East in Damascus, Syria. He is an impressive role model and peacemaker in Syria.

At a meeting in Auckland, New Zealand from 1-3 August, the Pacific Conference of Churches released texts on climate change and nuclear weapons, and issued calls to action related to human rights and other issues.

Climate justice isn't a policy that can simply be thrown away by any president - it’s a moral decision that affects the well-being of millions of people and future generations across the world. Thousands of people are communicating this message via statements, posts and tweets on social media, and even with earnest conversations with their neighbors. Many are from the WCC fellowship, humanitarian groups, churches and communities, and they are bringing a clear - and unified - voice of justice after US President Donald Trump announced on 2 June that his nation would leave the Paris climate accord.

Not nearly enough is being done to save the lives of the 20 million people who face famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria. Among them are 1.4 million children, who are at imminent risk of death unless aid reaches them immediately.

Sitting in a tent at the Souda camp, on the island of Chios in Greece, a Pakistani family of 12 recalls the lives they had in their home country. They had everything except safety. Muhammed and his wife, Asia, along with their 10 children, fled their home country in search of a place where they weren’t constantly fearing for their lives.