The general secretary of the WCC, Dr Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, has condemned the 24 May attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels which resulted in the deaths of four persons including two Israeli citizens.
Addressing the daunting issue of unemployment among Egyptian youth, the WCC collaborated with the International Labour Organization in holding a dialogue on “Egyptian youth and the right to decent work” in Cairo. The event on 15 May brought together participants from both Christian and Muslim backgrounds.
Churches in the United States, including member churches of the WCC, have called on the Obama administration to open up a high-level dialogue with Cuba aimed at normalizing relations between the two countries.
The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches will meet 2 to 8 July 2014 for its first full meeting since it was elected at the WCC 10th Assembly held in Busan, Republic of Korea, 30 October to 8 November, 2013. The meeting will be held at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland.
Leaders of historic faith communities across Europe have gathered in Geneva to consider the role of inter-religious dialogue and cooperation in addressing social divisions and opportunities. On 13 May, the conference focused on a round-table symposium addressing the theme “Societies in Transition”.
Address to 11th annual meeting of European Council of Religious Leaders by the WCC general secretary at the Round Table on Societies in Transition: The Role of Inter-Religious Dialogue and Cooperation, held in Geneva, Switzerland.
Church leaders from South Sudan are arriving in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, all set to take part in the start of negotiations between South Sudan's president Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar. The negotiations aim to find solutions for the world’s newest nation, reeling from violence since last year that has left thousands dead and millions homeless.
WCC general secretary's greetings to the Ecumenical Assembly 2014 in Mainz, Germany, held from 30 April to 4 May, addressing the theme “The future we desire – Life not destruction”.
“The senseless war in South Sudan must end now,” said the WCC general secretary, following the pastoral visit of a high-level ecumenical delegation to local churches in Juba, South Sudan on 2 May.
More than 400 representatives of German ecumenical groups attending an assembly in Mainz, Germany have affirmed their commitment to move forward in a “pilgrimage of justice and peace” – a call from the WCC 10th Assembly.
National elections, gender-based violence, environmental issues and human rights in the Democratic Republic in Congo (DRC) were in focus during a two-day forum organized by the member churches of the WCC in the DRC.
In an ecumenical service organized by the Congolese churches and hosted by the Disciples of Christ parish in Lemba, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, shared reflections on the resurrection of Christ which, he said, holds particular significance for the DRC, known by some as a “forgotten country with forgotten problems”.
The Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit addressed the theme “Free to speak, believe and serve” on 4 April at the Synod of the Church of Norway, held in conjunction with the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian constitution. The anniversary represents an important milestone for Norway as a nation and for the Church of Norway.
The Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit visited Finland this week, and spoke to the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja, about the situation in Ukraine and in the Middle East. Tveit was also one of the speakers at the global partnership consultation organized by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
Young adults from Asian churches are invited to participate in a two-week-long training programme of the WCC called Youth in Asia Training for Religious Amity (YATRA). The project is aimed at promoting and strengthening religious harmony. The deadline to submit applications has been extended to 10 April.
Human rights defenders from Bangladesh, gathered in a meeting sponsored by the WCC, are calling the international community’s attention to the severe persecution of Bangladesh’s religious and ethnic minorities.
In an audience with Pope Francis in the Vatican, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit stressed the significance of Christian unity. He also expressed appreciation for Pope Francis’s call to pray for peace in Syria and his call for churches to remember the poor, encouraging Christians to work for economic justice.
WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit's speech during his audience with Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church in the Vatican, Rome, on 7 March 2014.
