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Interview

“They want to live without fear and constant harassment”

Máire Ní Mheibhric, from Galway, Ireland, served as an ecumenical accompanier in the village of Tubas, in the West Bank, from 31 August to 7 October. She also previously served as an ecumenical accompanier in 2019 in Hebron. The World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, based on an appeal from local church leaders to create an international presence in the country, accompanies the local people and communities, offering protective presence and witnessing their daily struggles and hopes. Below, Ní Mheibhric reflects on what she witnessed while in the field.

25 October 2023

Group photo with banners for peace in Korea

Christian Conference of Asia: “we fervently pray for true peace on the Korean Peninsula”

The Christian Conference of Asia 15th General Assembly, in a statement, called for prayers for true peace on the Korean Peninsula. The statement also called upon governments to refrain from provocative statements and military actions, and prayed that permanent members of the UN Security Council continue to work together for reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

11 October 2023

A World Free From Nuclear Weapons is Possible: Remarks by Peter Prove at "The Audacity of Peace" meeting

A World Free From Nuclear Weapons is Possible: remarks by Peter Prove, Director of the WCC's Commission of the Churches on International Affairs at the International Meeting for Peace: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue "The Audacity of Peace", Berlin, 10-12 September 2023.

11 September 2023

WCC Programmes

“Imagining a Safer World”, address by Peter Prove at “Churches Together South Australia”

Address of Peter Prove, WCC director of international affairs on “Imagining a Safer World” at a “Churches Together South Australia” event on 13 August 2023.

14 August 2023

Keynote of Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata at the International Conference for Reconciliation in Colombia

Keynote address of Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia at the "International Conference for Reconciliation in Colombia", Bogota, Colombia, 9 August 2023

09 August 2023

WCC Programmes

Demilitarized zone between the South and North Korea, Photo: Grégoire de Fombelle/WCC

70 Years of Ceasefire, Efforts and Challenges for Peace on the Korean Peninsula & East Asia

On 27 July 1953 – 70 years ago today – the Korean War Armistice Agreement was signed in Panmunjom by senior representatives of the United Nations Command, and military leaders of North Korea (the Korean People's Army) and China (the Chinese People's Volunteer Army).

27 July 2023

Interview

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

Moderator of Central Committee

Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm: "Just Peace through Military Force? Peace Ethical Considerations in Light of the War of Aggression against Ukraine"

Lecture of the World Council of Churches central committee moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm delivered at the Kitzingen deanery, a regional church district near Würzburg, Germany.

22 May 2023

Feature story

People wearing yellow vests reading 'EAPPI' gathered in a church where a pastor is giving them a blessing.

Ecumenical accompaniers help people feel safer in Palestine and Israel

"The soldiers went away because you were watching.”

“I am able to herd my sheep near the military base because I feel safe in the presence of ecumenical accompaniers, and settler harassment is much less when you are around.”

“We feel safe when the ecumenical accompaniers are present.”

24 April 2023

WCC offers input to the UN New Agenda for Peace

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has offered input for the articulation of the UN’s “New Agenda for Peace," a process intended to update the world body’s approach to peace and security in the current global context. In its submission – which is inspired to a significant extent by the WCC 11th Assembly statement on “The Things That Make For Peace”– the WCC focused especially on the need for greater financial and practical support for peacebuilding at national and local levels, rather than for division and military confrontation.

13 April 2023

Message

Address by Marianne Ejdersten launching the report on the impact of sanctions on humanitarian work

Address by Marianne Ejdersten, communication director of the WCC at the side-event of the 52^nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, launching the report on the impact of sanctions on humanitarian work.

10 March 2023

As “Doomsday Clock” moves closer to midnight, churches call for prohibition of nuclear weapons

For the past 75 years, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced how close it believes the world is to a nuclear attack. On 24 January, it has announced that we are only 90 seconds to midnight.

25 January 2023

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

Statement: public statement

War in Ukraine, Peace and Justice in the European Region

"War in Ukraine, Peace and Justice in the European Region", statement by the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany

08 September 2022

Assembly

Young people hold signs during the morning prayer service

WCC assembly statement calls for global ceasefire, renewed commitment to peace

Recognizing the deep need for, “renewed dialogue within the ecumenical movement,” the WCC 11th Assembly released a statement “strongly affirming the commitment of the WCC and its member churches to peace making through inter-religious dialogue and cooperation at all levels,” and calling for a global ceasefire in all armed conflicts around the world.

08 September 2022

Statement: public statement

The Things That Make For Peace: Moving the World to Reconciliation and Unity

"The Things That Make For Peace: Moving the World to Reconciliation and Unity", Statement of the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany

08 September 2022

Assembly

WCC calls for end to violence in Jerusalem, prays for victims of violence

World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca urgently called for an end to violence in Jerusalem, after on 14 August eight people were wounded in a shooting attack targeting a bus.

15 August 2022

Prayer

August 15th Joint South-North (North-South) Prayer for Peace & Reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula 2022

The World Council of Churches invites the global fellowship and all people of good will to join, on 15 August 2022, a prayer for peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula.

Composed by the National Council of Churches in Korea, the prayer will be held on 14 August—the Sunday before Liberation Day, observed in both North and South Korea to mark the date in 1945 when Korea won independence from Japanese colonial oppression. The date was also when the peninsula was divided into two countries.

08 August 2022