Message of the conference "Christian Perspectives on Human Dignity and Human Rights", organised jointly by WCC, UEM and EKD, gathering 47 participants from 22 countries in Wuppertal (Germany) and online from 9 to 12 April 2022.
The fifth reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2022 of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network is written by Peter Pavlovic.* He reflects that Europe is a water rich continent, still, a lot of concerns related to water availability persist in the region. Climate change makes this problem worse, our vulnerability is, as the last IPCC report warns, increasingly exposed. Faith describes the world as a gift of God given to humanity. Fragility of our existence is closely related to disrespecting the limits of the world in which we live and is rooted in the failure of our relationship with God.
The GETI 2022 theme, “Christ’s Love (Re)moves Borders,” echoes the WCC 11th Assembly theme, “Christ’s Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity.” The study process will guide participants to delve deeply and creatively into the theological and practical implications of the claim that Christ (re)moves borders.
I see five imperatives for theologians (prophetic, pastoral and priestly), to occupy the social media space, which is currently dominated by politics (politricks), business (including profiteers), entertainers (artists, sports, etc.), economists, lawyers, etc.
Although it is unfolding in a mixed context of political and economic upheavals, tragic conflicts, exploitation, and enormous opportunities, growth, and successes, the African experience of diakonia and development has a lot to teach the world, a workshop for senior African church leaders heard.
Acknowledging the inspiration from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the recommendations of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Laudato Si’ Encyclical by Pope Francis, the ecumenical season of creation movement and the ecotheology and ECOTHEE Conferences and the corresponding Cretan appeals since 2009.
As people of faith, we join in committing to pray and act against hunger at this time when 811m people worldwide go to bed hungry each night, hunger has increased globally by 25% since 2019, and across the globe more than 41m people–around half of them children–are at risk of falling into famine in 43 countries.
On 4 October 2021, faith leaders representing the world’s major religions joined scientists at the Vatican to call on the international community to raise their ambition and step up their climate action ahead of COP26. Almost 40 faith leaders signed a joint Appeal, which was presented by Pope Francis to COP26 President-Designate, the Rt Hon Alok Sharma, and the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Luigi Di Maio.
“Social Justice in Our Digital Age: An Ecumenical Aim”, message of Dr Agnes Abuom, WCC Central Committee moderator at the international symposium “Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age”, 15 September 2021
An upcoming international symposium, scheduled for 13-15 September, will explore some key questions to help us map a more just digital future, a future that “increasingly calls for deeper reflection and new thinking in philosophy, ethics, jurisprudence, and theology,” said World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof Dr Ioan Sauca.
Faith communities, governments, international organizations, foundations, the private sector, and civil society organizations are essential in every response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, told an interfaith gathering.
Participate in a public dialogue about digital communication, or submit a case study that sets an example for the world: expressions of interest are invited for active participation in a symposium scheduled for 13-15 September 2021.
Applications are open for the World Council of Churches (WCC) Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) 2022, which will take place in two phases—online and residential—under the theme “Christ’s Love (Re)moves Borders.”
Bringing churches together in a spirit of reconciliation and justice is embodied at Bossey, a message its director brought home as he opened an online conference on ‘teaching ecumenism in the context of world Christianity’.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) International Planning Group for the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) met on 7 June to further solidify plans for GETI 2022, which will take place in two phases—online and residential—under the theme “Christ’s Love (Re)moves Borders.”
Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, from Spain, is the United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.In this interview with WCC News, he talks about the significance of these human rights, his plans and priorities for his mandate, and to that end, the role of faith, spirituality and ethics.
In an exclusive interview with the World Council of Churches, H.E. Cardinal Silvano M. Tomasi reflects on the the global conversation about a world free from nuclear weapons, and how churches can get involved. He also shares his insights on strategies to decrease the funds allocated to the arms race and dedicate them to economic recovery.
