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Religious leaders uniting for climate peace in solidarity with refugees, boost UN conference

The moment religious leaders from around 40 faith-based organisations worldwide agreed to keep defending the individual right to seek asylum during a gathering in Geneva marked a high point on the eve of the Global Refugee Forum, the world's biggest such international gathering.They met at a one-day event on 12 December at the World Council of Churches (WCC), chaired by an Armenian archbishop and a UN diplomat who was once a Turkish legislator.

14 December 2023

Media advisory

Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees

Religious leaders will gather on 12 December for an event inked to the Global Refugee Forum. Hosted by the UNHCR, the World Council of Churches (WCC), and Religions for Peace (RfP) at the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, the programme is entitled: “Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees.”

07 December 2023

WCC urges renewal of joint peace message on 70th anniversary of Korean War Armistice Agreement

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is urging a renewal of a Joint Ecumenical Peace Appeal—one that calls for, among other actions toward peace, an immediate formal declaration of the end of the Korean War.

03 August 2023

Weaving the web of peace and justice: a journey for reconciliation in the Korean Peninsula

In an exclusive interview, a prominent figure in the field of peace and justice, the former general secretary of National Council of Churches in Korea and former executive secretary for the Christian Conference of Asia, Rev. Hong-Jung Lee, shared insights into his journey and experiences working towards peace and justice in the Korean Peninsula. Drawing on his extensive experience and involvement in various ecumenical organizations, he shed light on the importance of healing, reconciliation, and the role of churches and Christians in advancing peace in Korea.

31 May 2023

International Secretaries from Dioceses from the Church of Sweden visit.

Church of Sweden delegation visits WCC, Lutheran World Federation, and ACT Alliance

Visiting from 18-20 April, 13 international secretaries from dioceses of the Church of Sweden visited the World Council of Churches (WCC), Lutheran World Federation, and ACT Alliance.

20 April 2023

Global Peace Prayer will draw Christians together in hope for better future

A Global Peace Prayer on 22 March will draw Christians together in hope for a better future. A communique from a prayer planning committee explained that Christians are called into prayer and advocacy for peace. “In a global context where war and violence abound, the practice of peace has become even more urgent,” reads the message.

21 March 2023

Korean church leaders reflect on reconciliation: “the people’s power should be the main strategy”

The following feature begins a series of reflections from churches in different countries on "reconciliation" in the midst of conflict and division, following the theme of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly, “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” As the WCC commits to working together as a fellowship on a “Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity,” these stories explore how deepened relationships can lead to understanding and radical change.

07 October 2022

World’s churches converge on Germany city of Karlsruhe to pray and act

From 31 August to 8 September, thousands of Christians converged on the German city of Karlsruhe for the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, the first in Europe since Uppsala in 1968.

16 September 2022

Voices from the Ecumenical Forum for Korea: “we Christians do not have weapons of war, but we do have prayer”

Members of the Ecumenical Forum for Peace, Reunification & Cooperation on the Korean Peninsula (EFK) held an informal meeting on 9 September in Karlsruhe, Germany, following the conclusion of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly.

14 September 2022

People on the street in Pyongyang, North Korea

WCC expresses “very deep Christian concern” on COVID-19 outbreak in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

In a pastoral letter to the Korean Christian Federation, World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed “very deep Christian concern” over the COVID-19 outbreak in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

01 June 2022

Screenshort of the zoom meeting of the Thursdays in Blanch ambassadors, May 2022

Thursdays in Black ambassadors map how to keep moving toward a world free from violence

Eighteen Thursdays in Black ambassadors gathered on 12 May to discuss how to build on the momentum of many creative efforts across the world to move toward a world free from rape and violence.

19 May 2022

Man dressed in Orthodox religious garb speaking at podium.

Fr Ioan Sauca: “God is on the side of those who are suffering”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has, since the first day of the war in Ukraine and even in the months before, been working and praying earnestly for peace in this conflict and throughout the world. From the beginning, the WCC has called for an immediate end to armed hostilities, to stop the war and has appealed also for an immediate end to indiscriminate attacks with an escalating impact on civilians in Ukraine. WCC News met online with the WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca to get the latest update on the work of the WCC.

14 April 2022

National Council of Churches in Korea holds 70th General Assembly with theme that shares with WCC “the common wisdom of love”

The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) held its 70th General Assembly on 22 November with the theme “Walk the Path of the New Commandment.”

23 November 2021

Ecumenical forum emphasizes the need to work together for peace on the Korean Peninsula despite COVID-19 and other challenges

Participants in a meeting of members and partners of the Ecumenical Forum for Peace, Reunification & Cooperation on the Korean Peninsula (EFK), held online on 25 August, emphasized the need to continue to work together for peace on the Korean Peninsula even amid COVID-19 and challenging political circumstances.

26 August 2021

Ecumenical Forum on Korea in Bangkok, 2019

Peace and unity on the Korean Peninsula matters globally

While the peace process on the Korean Peninsula needs further progress built on trust, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected international humanitarian support and development cooperation efforts. World Council of Churches (WCC) communications invited Peter Prove, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, to discuss the current ecumenical engagement for Korea and role of churches in building a sustainable peace.

25 February 2021

Ecumenical partners for peace on the Korean Peninsula gather to address changing world context

Convening online on 14 January, members and supporters of the Ecumenical Forum for Peace, Reunification and Cooperation on the Korean Peninsula recalled the initiatives undertaken during 2020 despite the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and reflected on the implications of a changing global context for efforts for peace.

19 January 2021

Rev. Shin Seung-min: “We want to create hope, not despair”

Rev. Shin Seung-min, programme executive of the National Council of Churches in Korea, firmly believes that Christians live by the power of prayer. As he looks back at one of the largest global prayer campaigns in which he’s ever been involved, he sees that the year 2020 brought forth the power of prayer in unprecedented ways, even amid a year that brought grave suffering to the world.

22 December 2020

Bishop Hee-Soo Jung in prayer in United Methodist Church Global Mission Center

Bishop Hee-Soo Jung: “Prayer is a radical action”

Recently the World Council of Churches (WCC) published “The Light of Peace: Churches in Solidarity with the Korean Peninsula.” The article below is linked to the questions in Chapter 15 in the book, a chapter that highlights the road ahead for peace and reconciliation on the peninsula. In this interview, Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, president of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, reflects and shares his deep wisdom, and emphasizes the importance of working for peace and justice.

11 December 2020