Search results

Blog post

World Day of Health and the Veneration of the Holy Cross: two celebrations with significant meaning

This year, the World Day of Health, which is celebrated annually on 7 April, falls on the third Sunday of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church that is dedicated to the Veneration of the Holy Cross.

11 April 2024

Rev. Dr Stavros Kofinas

World Health Day prayer focuses on giving hope and courage

A World Council of Churches (WCC) prayer for World Health Day on 8 April focused on giving hope and courage in a suffering world.

08 April 2024

Liturgical text

World Health Day Prayer Sunday 7 April 2024

With the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, we pray for the people and churches of Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria.

World Health Day is April 7 when the World Health Organization commemorates its 76th anniversary. This year the theme is 'My Health, My Right, which reminds us to advocate for equitable access to health services and work towards a healthier, more inclusive world.

04 April 2024

WCC Programmes

Message

WCC general secretary Holy Saturday message - Ecumenical celebration of Easter at St Pierre Cathedral, Geneva

Ecumenical leaders, including World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, gathered with several hundred people, filling St Pierre Cathedral in Geneva on 30 March 2024, with the sounds and songs of Easter joy.

01 April 2024

Interview

Voice of churches vital during UN women’s rights talks

As the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) drew to a close, a look back shows that, this year, the World Council of Churches (WCC), through its Ecumenical Office to the United Nations, brought many voices to the table to speak on gender equality, women's rights, and empowerment.

28 March 2024

WCC brings voice of communities to Commission on the Status of Women

How do we end exclusion, racism, economic injustice? Voices from across the world brought stories—and solutions—via online events hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in conjunction with the Commission on the Status of Women, the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women's empowerment.

28 March 2024

“Zacchaeus Tax” panel brings faith-based lens to tax justice, gender justice

A panel discussion, “Zacchaeus Tax: Transforming the Global Economic System and Advancing Gender Justice,” on 19 March explored the intersections between tax justice and gender justice—and why this is a matter of faith.

20 March 2024

Feature story

The group of young women in front of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America headquarters in New York City.

Girls from Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America participate in advocacy at the UN

As part of a new program specifically for girls within the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America through its Ecumenical Department, a group of 13 young women participated in advocacy at the UN in conjunction with the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68).

20 March 2024

In Angola, WCC takes human rights approach to obstetric fistula

During a visit to Angola held 21-28 January, World Council of Churches (WCC) staff met with local church and community leaders to discuss how preventing obstetric fistula is a matter of human rights.

01 February 2024

Lecture - Speech

"The Kingdom of God and the Role of the Pastor Today", by Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay

Speaking before religious leaders, pastors, and students in Indonesia, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected on “The Kingdom of God and the Role of the Pastor Today.”

01 February 2024

Message

Message of the H.E. Archbishop Dr Aykazian Vicken at the Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees

Message of the H.E. Archbishop Dr Aykazian Vicken, Vice-moderator of the WCC central committee at the "Religious Leaders Unite for Climate Peace in Solidarity with Refugees" event at the Ecumenical Center, Geneva, Switzerland 12 December 2023.

12 December 2023

WCC Officers

Commission on International Affairs

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

WCC moderator sends joyful greetings on 60th anniversary of All Africa Conference of Churches

World Council of Churches moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm shared joyful greetings to the All Africa Conference of Churches as it celebrated its 60th birthday and gathered for its assembly.

20 November 2023

Moderator of Central Committee

Message

Greetings from the WCC moderator to the All Africa Conference of Churches assembly and 60th anniversary

Greetings from the World Council of Churches moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm to the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) assembly marking the 60th anniversary of the AACC.

20 November 2023

On October 24th, the World Council of Churches (WCC) held an exhibition titled "Guardians of Land, Life, Seeds, and Love."

“Land, Life, Seeds, and Love” exhibit brings a show of strength with the earth

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is hosting an exhibition, "Guardians of Land, Life, Seeds, and Love,” that celebrates the strength, resilience, and contributions of the Rural Women's Assembly.

30 October 2023

General secretaries celebrate collaboration and publication

At the World Assembly 2023 of the United Bible Societies in October 2023, the secretary general of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Jerry Pillay, and Rev. Dirk Gevers, secretary general of the United Bible Societies, celebrated the long history of cooperation between the organizations.

13 October 2023

Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata reflects on book “White saviourism in International Development”

WCC progamme director for Public Witness and Diakonia Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata was part of a panel reviewing and reflecting on the book "White saviourism in International Development,” by Themrise Khan et al, at the 2023 Gothenburg Book Fair.

29 September 2023

Feature story

Greetings pour in to commemorate WCC’s 75th anniversary

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has been fielding a growing number of greetings and reflections as it continues to observe its 75th anniversary.

22 September 2023

Letter

Pastoral letter to His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew - Wildfires - July 2023

Your All-Holiness, dear Patriarch Bartholomew,

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth….

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God; he will wipe every tear from their eyes.—Rev. 21:1-4

27 July 2023