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War in Ukraine, church dialogue, and humanitarian response were in sharp focus on third day of the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly. Church leaders from Ukraine together with heads of ecumenical organisations emphasised the need for reconciliation, unity, and peacebuilding.

After nearly 33 years of serving as a staff reporter, and later an assistant news editor, for United Methodist News, Linda Bloom is moving on. Below, she looks back on how her roles as a journalist changed, as well as some memorable experiences with the World Council of Churches (WCC). 

Among the massive social dislocations caused by the coronavirus pandemic, perhaps none is as plaintive as those to churches. Around the world, church gatherings, liturgies, fellowship, and service projects have been canceled or postponed or migrated online, precisely when Christian communities and those who rely on them need them most.

Am 24. September trafen sich Delegierte zahlreicher Kirchen und Organisationen weltweit zu einer ganztägigen Veranstaltung mit dem Titel: „Klimanotstand – Glaubensgestützte Organisationen wollen ambitionierteres Handeln – Niemand wird zurückgelassen“, um über ihre Rolle im Kampf gegen den Klimawandel und das menschliche Leid zu erörtern, das er bereits verursacht.

In a daylong meeting on 24 September entitled: “Climate Emergency: Faith-based Organizations Raising Ambition - Leaving No One Behind,” representatives from dozens of churches and organizations from across the world gathered to explore their role in stemming climate change and the human suffering it is already causing.

Lors d’une réunion d’une journée le 24 septembre, intitulée «Urgence climatique: des organisations confessionnelles aspirent à plus – Ne laisser tomber personne», des représentants de dizaines d’Églises et d’organisations du monde entier se sont réunis pour examiner leur rôle dans la lutte contre le changement climatique et la souffrance humaine qu’il cause déjà.

Ten years ago, while studying to become a nurse, Khadijah Abdullah was confronted at a hospital with a rather difficult patient, a Muslim living with AIDS who was also coping with several other medical issues. When Abdullah realized how isolated and stigmatized this patient was in his own faith community, she became aware of her prejudices and ignorance and she decided to do something about it.

In an opening address at a Forum on Modern Slavery in Istanbul on 7 January, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew spoke on “Awareness, Action and Impact.” After many centuries of progress and advancement, we still live in a world where injustice and slavery continue to thrive, and where human dignity is exchanged for the sole purpose of greed, gain, and profit, reflected Bartholomew.

The Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) of the World Council of Churches (WCC) organized a series of meetings between church leaders from North America and United Nations experts on racial justice issues in New York City on 29-31 October.

What else could your family, your parish, your community do to respond to the needs of migrants and refugees arriving in your country? Representatives of many different churches met in Rome in September to discuss that practical question, as well as respond to the broader challenge of how people of faith can combat the rising tide of racism, xenophobia and nationalist policies that increasingly target vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers.

On 22 January, the World Council of Churches, together with the ACT Alliance, General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and Responsibility to Protect, and the UN Inter-Agency Task Force with Faith Based Organizations, co-organized the Fourth Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) in International Affairs with the theme “Perspectives on migration: displacement and marginalization, inclusion and justice”.

Mit seiner Rede anlässlich eines von UNICEF ausgerichteten Empfangs am 22. Januar hat der Generalsekretär des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen, Pastor Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, seine ökumenische Sicht auf Themen wie Migration, Inklusion und Gerechtigkeit beschrieben.

Speaking at a reception hosted by UNICEF on 22 January, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit offered an ecumenical vision on migration, inclusion and justice.

Lors d’une réception organisée par l’UNICEF le 22 janvier, le secrétaire général du Conseil œcuménique des Églises, le pasteur Olav Fykse Tveit a proposé une vision œcuménique de la migration, de l’inclusion et de la justice.

At a meeting on 19 January, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) pledged to not only deepen their existing collaboration but also explore even more joint projects to protect and provide for children.