Con ocasión de la reunión del Comité Central del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) celebrada en febrero de 2022, representantes de las iglesias de Oriente Medio se reunieron para reflexionar sobre los retos actuales y el testimonio continuo en la región ahora que la comunidad de iglesias prosigue el camino hacia su próxima Asamblea.
With the World Council of Churches central committee meeting in February 2022, representatives of churches of the Middle East gathered to reflect on current challenges and ongoing witness as the fellowship journeys towards its next assembly.
More than 400 people participated in an olive tree planting and solidarity event in the West Bank village of Burin. The gathering, organized by Rabbis for Human Rights, occurred in the wake of an extremist attack two weeks ago on people planting olive trees.
As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity fast approaches, moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Faith and Order Commission Rev. Dr Susan Durber reflects on the theme “We saw the star in the East,” and on what unity means for the world today.
Rev. Dr Odair Pedroso Mateus, World Council of Churches (WCC) interim deputy general secretary and director of Faith and Order, shares his insights on the upcoming Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, to be held 18-25 January. Churches across the globe will reflect on the hope and joy in Matthew 2:2, “We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship him.” The Middle East Council of Churches, based in Beirut, Lebanon, was the convener for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022 drafting group.
When Rev. Frank Chikane was leading the South African Council of Churches in calling out injustices of the apartheid system, their work did not stop even after the council’s office building was bombed to the ground in 1980s. Moderating the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches (WCC) since 2016, Rev. Chikane has been engaged in addressing injustices in many parts of the world. WCC Communication asked Rev. Chikane to look back at his term at the commission and the ongoing calling of churches to address injustices in the world today.
As Norwegian Church Aid continued a digital visit with its global partners, leaders from the organization met with the World Council of Churches (WCC) to discuss creative responses to the world’s increasing needs, and the vital role of church leaders in those responses.
La Semana de Oración por la Unidad de los Cristianos, celebrada del 18 al 25 de enero, acercará a las iglesias de todo el mundo para reflexionar sobre la esperanza y la alegría en Mateo 2:2, “… hemos visto su estrella en el Oriente y hemos venido para adorarle”.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, held 18-25 January, will draw together churches across the globe to reflect on the hope and joy in Matthew 2:2, “We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship him.”
Una compilación de las historias más leídas publicadas por el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) revela una hermandad mundial enfocada en construir un mejor futuro, incluso en medio de los grandes desafíos a los que se enfrentó el mundo en 2021.
A compilation of the most-read stories published by the World Council of Churches (WCC) reveals a global fellowship focused on a better future even amid the grave challenges the world faced during 2021.
Una “consulta religiosa sobre la cohesión social en Iraq”, que tuvo lugar del 13 al 15 de diciembre en Beirut, emitió un comunicado final, fruto de una amplia participación interreligiosa que contó, entre otros, con dirigentes religiosos y étnicos de todos los sectores iraquíes, quienes trabajaron juntos en favor de la paz en Iraq y en Oriente Medio.
A “Religious Consultation on Social Cohesion in Iraq,” held 13-15 in Beirut, released a final communiqué, the fruit of wide interreligious participation that included religious and ethnic leaders of all Iraqi components working together for peace in Iraq and the Middle East.
Middle East Council of Churches secretary general Dr Michel Abs welcomed World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca on 14 December at the headquarters of the Middle East Council of Churches General Secretariat in Beirut. The president of the National Evangelical Union in Lebanon and president of the Council for the Evangelical Family, H.E. Rev. Dr Habib Badr, as well the General Secretariat team in Beirut, also received Sauca.
On 15 December, Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches paid a visit to His Beatitude John X, Patriarch of the Antioch and All the East at the patriarchal residence in Balamand, Lebanon.
An interfaith consultation held 12-16 December in Beirut, Lebanon, offered the chance for participants from different traditions to share their vision for social and religious cohesion in Iraq, assessing the current context and envisioning the way forward.
An online conference, “The Future of Interfaith Dialogue,” held 7-8 December, discussed principles for common formation as a vital element for the future of interfaith dialogue. Via panel discussion, participants discussed how the future of interfaith dialogue is best accomplished by encouraging common formation in which people, especially young people, of different faiths learn together with a common goal, and in the course of the learning discover more about each other.
A recent webinar remembered past massacres that took place in the Middle East, and speakers underscored the importance of telling the stories so that that past is not forgotten.
Upon request of churches and ecumenical partners worldwide, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has extended the deadline for applications for workshops to be part of the “Brunnen” space of the WCC 11th Assembly in 2022. The new deadline is 15 January 2022.
Two upcoming online events, entitled “Missing and Murdered: Addressing Femicide and Sexual and Gender-based Violence in our Global Context,” will address the shadow pandemic of violence against women.
