Search results

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay returned to Geneva from Indonesia with expressions of gratitude to the churches and communities who hosted him. 

The Dicastery for Promoting Interreligious Dialogue is hosting a conference in Rome on the importance of women building a culture of interreligious encounter.

World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca delivered a lecture during the first edition of the “Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence” held 3-4 November.

World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca will deliver a lecture during the first edition of the “Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence” to be held 3-4 November.

A new publication from WCC, “Coexistence: Peace, Nature, Poverty, Terrorism, Values (Religious Perspectives)” by Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania, is now available in hard copy and as an eBook.

Essays by five young theologians representing different church traditions have been chosen as the winning entries in an essay writing competition organised to mark the 50th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Office of Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation. Chosen by an international panel of judges from the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey and the WCC, the essays cover a range of themes and perspectives related to the topic of the competition, “The Future of Interreligious Dialogue.”

During a multilateral dialogue on Fratelli tutti, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca spoke on “Fraternity, Interreligious Dialogue and Social Justice.”

He joined religious leaders as well as representatives from the UN, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, and International Red Cross on 15 April for the online event. He spoke on a panel with representatives from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Royal Institute of Interfaith Studies, and Latin American Rabbinical Seminary of the Conservative Movement in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue officially launched translations of their latest joint document, “Serving a Wounded World in Interreligious Solidarity: A Christian Call to Reflection and Action During COVID-19 and Beyond.”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) observed the International Day of Human Fraternity on 4 February, emphasizing the significance and value of unity among our one human family.

With the aim of further developing the work of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in the field of interreligious relations, the WCC is opening a new survey seeking information about experience and activities of WCC member churches in interreligious relations.

During the global pandemic it is not any more possible to be present at special celebrations in the ecumenical and global fellowship. The new realities connect the local and global work in a new and innovative way. The WCC is present digitally in many gatherings.

In the field of multilateral relations, the major partner of the Catholic Church is the World Council of Churches (WCC). Founded in 1948, it is the broadest and most inclusive ecumenical organization, bringing together 350 Christian denominations including Orthodox, Lutherans, Reformed, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists as well as United and Independent churches. Altogether they represent over 500 million Christians worldwide.

One of the foundational moments in the modern ecumenical movement is an encyclical letter issued 100 years ago by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on 1 January 1920. As its opening words state, it was addressed “Unto the Churches of Christ everywhere” and sent as a letter to the leaders of key Christian churches. Its first words are an appeal to “Love one another earnestly from the heart,” quoting from 1 Peter 1:22. The thrust of the letter is the suggestion that doctrinal differences among Christian churches do not, or at least should not, prevent “rapprochement” between Christians.

The annual meeting of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) was hosted by the WCC at the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, and at the nearby Chateau de Bossey from 6-7 February.

On 30 January, the Church Council of the Church of Norway appointed World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit as the new presiding bishop for the Church of Norway.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) condemned an attack on a Hanukkah celebration at a rabbi´s home north of New York City, on 28 December, stabbing and wounding five people. Several state and local officials have described the location of stabbing as a synagogue.

With great sadness, the World Council of Churches (WCC) received news of the demise of Prof. Vuyani Vellem on 4 December. A member of the WCC’s Commission on Ecumenical Education and Formation, Vellem was director of the Centre for Public Theology and associate professor at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He also served as deputy secretary of the South Africa Council of Churches.