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During a World Council of Churches morning prayer—focusing on the churches and people of Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine – a reflection by Prof. Dr Dmytro Tsolin focused on both the pain of the war in Ukraine as well as how we hang onto hope.

In the wake of severe flooding in the Taquari Valley, Brazil, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed sorrow and concern for the people affected.

Während des Besuchs der Delegation des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen (ÖRK) im Mai in der Ukraine, wurde am 12. Mai in Butscha in der Umgebung von Kyiv ein ökumenischer Gebetsgottesdienst abgehalten. Der Gottesdienst wurde von der Leitung der ÖRK-Führungsdelegation – Generalsekretär des ÖRK Pastor Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, Vorsitzenden der ÖRK-Zentralausschusses Bischof Heinrich Bedford-Strohm sowie Erzbischof Vicken Aykazian – mit der Teilnahme der Ukrainischen Rates der Kirchen und religiöser Organisationen (Ukranian Council of Chuches and Religious Organizations, UCCRO) in der orthodoxen St.-Andreas-Kirche in Butscha abgehalten. 

During the World Council of Churches (WCC) leadership delegation visit to Ukraine in May, an ecumenical prayer service was held in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on 12 May. The service, led by the WCC leadership, WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC moderator Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, with participation of members of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO), took place at St Andrew Orthodox Church in Bucha.

World Council of Churches central committee moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm delivered a lecture at the Kitzingen deanery, a regional church district near Würzburg, for the parishes of the deanery as well as for the public. The lecture, entitled “Just Peace through Military Force? Peace Ethical Considerations in Light of the War of Aggression against Ukraine,” was offered on 29 April

During an ecumenical morning prayer held 15 May, the World Council of Churches (WCC) staff and partners observed the UN International Day of Living Together in Peace, holding in prayer many nations across the world facing challenges to living together in harmony.

Against the background of the Russian invasion and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, a high-level WCC leadership delegation visiting Ukraine undertook an intensive series of consultations in Kyiv on 11 May 2023, with church leaders, Ukrainian government officials, and others.

“It was with sadness that we received the news of the passing of Prof. Dr Julio Hector de Santa Ana, a reference of ecumenical theology in a liberating perspective,” said Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). De Santa Ana passed away in Geneva, Switzerland, on 17 April.

Am 22. März sind Christinnen und Christen in aller Welt zu einem Globalen Friedensgebet zusammengekommen, um für Frieden in einer zerbrochenen Welt zu beten und Menschen zuzuhören, die in der Ukraine und anderen Weltregionen unter den dort herrschenden Konflikten leiden.

During a Global Peace Prayer on 22 March, Christians across the world drew together to pray for peace in a broken world, and to listen to voices from people suffering in Ukraine and other conflict-ridden areas.

A Global Peace Prayer on 22 March will draw Christians together in hope for a better future. A communique from a prayer planning committee explained that Christians are called into prayer and advocacy for peace. “In a global context where war and violence abound, the practice of peace has become even more urgent,” reads the message.

Ein weltweites Friedensgebet am 22. März soll christliche Gläubige in der Hoffnung auf eine bessere Zukunft zusammenbringen. Das Kommuniqué eines Planungsausschusses für dieses Friedensgebet erklärt, dass christliche Gläubige zu Gebet und Fürsprachearbeit für Frieden aufgerufen sind. „In einem globalen Kontext, in dem es zu viel Krieg und Gewalt gibt, ist ein Engagement für Frieden dringlicher geworden denn je“, heißt es in dem Kommuniqué.

The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations is inviting all believers of all denominations to unite in fasting and prayer on 24 February—a day marking one year since the start of the war in Ukraine.

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed grave concern over continued recurrent attacks by Russian forces on energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure and areas in Ukraine, including most recently a maternity unit in which a newborn baby was killed.