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WCC urges prayers—and action—for the plight of people in Sudan

Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches director of Public Witness and Diakonia, returned from Sudan with what he described as “a broken heart” after witnessing the plight of the people. Yet he also shared signs of hope that a pact for peace can end the suffering.

25 April 2024

Interview

Years at WCC, LWF, and Indonesia prepare Rev. Prof. Dr Simone Sinn for Muenster professorship

Rev. Prof. Dr Simone Sinn's international experience, gained through years of work at the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), has equipped her with a global perspective, preparing her to engage with different Christian traditions and other faiths in her new teaching post at the University of Muenster.

11 April 2024

News

WCC extends joyous wishes to Muslim communities on Eid El Fitr

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, in a letter to His Eminence Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Dr Ahmad el-Tayeb, extended joyous wishes to the entire Muslim community on Eid El Fitr.

10 April 2024

Feature story

Priest pictured looking at a row of icons inside a stone building.

Orthodox Patriarchate Seminary in Jerusalem urges “know your neighbor”

Mount Zion, located just outside the current walls of the Old City, via Zion Gate, is of great importance to Christians because this is the area of Dormition Abbey, the Cenacle (the traditional spot for remembering the Last Supper and washing of the Apostles’ feet), and where the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the event of Pentecost.

10 April 2024

Prayer

Cross viewed in dim light with rising sun in the background.

Easter prayers – by Rev. Meghan Johnston Aelabouni

Gracious God, when suffering and injustice seem unending, we pray for Sumud — the steadfast endurance and resilience that we find in you.

21 March 2024

Prayer

A palm leaf cross pictured against cobbled stones.

An Easter prayer – by Mgr William Shomali

Let swords be turned into ploughshares, fear to trust, despair to hope, oppression to freedom, starvation to prosperity, occupation to liberation, and peace and justice could be experienced by all.

14 March 2024

Feature story

Inter-religious voices of concern in lead-up to International Women’s Day

In an online conference organized by the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations on 5 March, the World Council of Churches (WCC) was represented among inter-religious voices bringing their concerns and sense of solidarity in the lead-up to International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on 8 March.

07 March 2024

News

WCC general secretary meets Israeli president, calls for ceasefire, freedom of religion and humanitarian care

Israeli president Isaac Herzog formally received World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay on 20 February, to discuss the current situation in Israel and Palestine, and the war in Gaza.

20 February 2024

News

Two men pose for a photo, one wearing a clerical collar, both wearing suits.

WCC general secretary meets director of Islamic Waqf, reiterating “commitment to Jerusalem as a city of three religions”

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay and delegation met with Sheikh Azzam Khatib, director of Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem on 18 February, reiterating the WCC’s commitment to maintaining Jerusalem as a city of all three Abrahamic religions.

19 February 2024

Document

Background document

The Church of Sweden: Ecumenical Catalyst, International Agent of Peace

15 February 2024

General Secretary

Feature story

As femicide cases rises, Kenyan religious leaders move to act

As cases of femicide rise, religious leaders in Kenya are calling for the protection of women, as they unite to condemn the incidents now sending shockwaves across the East African nation.

06 February 2024

News

Applications open for Bossey interfaith summer course

Applications are open for the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey’s 2024 interfaith summer course, during which students earn a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies.

11 January 2024

News

WCC calls for immediate end to brutal violence in Gaza

As a year of exceptional and increasing conflict draws to a close, and as we pray for peace for all in 2024, “that prospect seems nowhere more remote than for the suffering and traumatized people of Gaza,” said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay.

30 December 2023

Feature story

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

Document

Statement: public statement

Statement: Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees

Reinforcing the traditional role of faith communities in offering sanctuary and, indeed hospitality to refugees, 90 faith-based leaders today committed to offering their continued and additional support to refugees, including children, on their journey to safety, including in reception and admission, meeting protection or service delivery needs and supporting communities to find solutions such as private sponsorship or scholarship programmes.

12 December 2023

Ecumenical movement

Document

Lecture - Speech

Keynote address by Peter Prove, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs at the Peace Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia

"Peace Among the People – Interreligious Action for Peace and Inclusive Communities", keynote address by Peter Prove, director of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, World Council of Churches, at the Peace Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, 21 November 2023.

21 November 2023

Commission on International Affairs

News

WCC demands immediate ceasefire, humanitarian corridors in Palestine and Israel

The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, on 8-14 November, released a statement that demands an immediate ceasefire, and the opening of humanitarian corridors in Palestine and Israel.

13 November 2023

Feature story

As British monarch visits, Kenyan religious leaders discuss interreligious dialogue

At a 120-year-old Anglican cathedral in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa, a visit by King Charles III, king of the United Kingdom and 14 other commonwealth realms, provided an opportunity for religious leaders to discuss interfaith dialogue, and peace, security, and development.

09 November 2023

News

WCC condemns attack on building adjacent to St Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is condemning an attack on one of the buildings within the compound of the St Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza. The building—affiliated with the church, which is one the oldest churches in Gaza—has collapsed in the explosion, caused by Israeli missile strikes, according to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

20 October 2023

Interview

Emerging Peacemakers Forum began as a short — but impactful — conversation

Carla Khijoyan, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme executive for the Middle East, shares her journey of how the Emerging Peacemakers Forum was initiated. She was formerly the WCC programme executive for Youth Engagement in the Ecumenical Movement.

19 September 2023