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Moderator’s address, Faith and Order Meeting, 27 November 2023

Dear Commissioners, 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Dear colleagues

I am glad that we have the opportunity to gather online today. Thanks to each and everyone who invests time and efforts to attend, especially those of you who are attending at very inconvenient hours, late night, or very early morning.

Thanks to the staff for preparing the agenda so well and keeping us all well informed and prepared for our meetings. We all know about the limitations off gathering online. I am therefore very glad that we hopefully will meet in real life in February, in Indonesia.

Commission on Faith and Order

Empowering women and girls with disabilities: nurturing resilience and inclusion in the face of climate change

Burundi recently witnessed a significant event aimed at fostering inclusivity and addressing the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities. During the National Dialogue on Disability-Inclusive Climate Change Policies and Programs last week, the Friends Church in Burundi embarked on a mission to support and uplift women and girls with disabilities in Nyabihanga, Gitega Province. 

Applications invited for WCC Eco-School for Europe and North America region

The fifth edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School on Water, Food, and Climate Justice, will be held 24-31 July in Crete, Greece. Convening in-person in the Orthodox Academy of Crete, Greece, the event is open to young people under 30 years of age from the Europe and  North America region only. 

WCC climate work looks to unite a global voice on climate change, justice, food, and health

As the World Council of Churches (WCC) Climate Working Group meets this month, the advisory body is looking forward to offering the fruits of its work for reflection and, most important, action at the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe. Below, Rev. Henrik Grape, senior advisor on Care for Creation, Sustainability, and Climate Justice, reflects on climate justice work in the lead-up to the assembly and beyond.

Webinar remembers past massacres in the Pacific

A webinar on 18 October remembered past massacres in the Pacific, honoring the legacy and resilience of the victims. Speakers reflected on past massacres in Samoa, the Marshall Islands, and Kanaky, all of which took place during colonial times or during occupation.

 

Hoping against hope

The same week Brazil reached half a million deaths by COVID-19, my parents got the first dose of the vaccine. On my way to work, I pass through a vaccination post full of people, and through a cemetery full of grief. The past year and few months were a mix of fear, indignation and anger for me. But also a time where I saw generosity and hope bloom.

Indigenous peoples and the pandemic in the land of inequalities

476 million indigenous people live around the world, of which 11.5% live in our Latin American region. In these years that we are going from the COVID 19 pandemic in our territories (indigenous or tribal at the Latin American level), the presence of many extractive companies, mainly uranium and lithium, has increased, land traffickers and among other monoculture companies with fires for the cultivation of oil palm, logging, putting vulnerable peoples at greater risk than what is already experienced.

Arctic communities to WCC pilgrims: “We need your voice”

Lorraine Netro, who was raised in the Gwichin First Nation of Old Crow, Yukon (Canada), is part of an indigenous community—but shes also a global citizen.

Todays Arctic peoples are important members of global society,” Netro said. The survival of Arctic cultures and communities remains tied to the wildlife and landscape of the Arctic Refuge.”