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Following an 11 April statement of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressing grave concerns over announced police restrictions on Holy Fire Saturday, the World Council of Churches (WCC) strongly condemned such measures restricting access to places of worship as violations of religious freedom in the Holy Land.

While Christians around the globe prepare to celebrate Easter, high holidays for Muslims and Jews—Ramadan and Pessach—are also being celebrated at the same time period in 2022. At this confluence of sacred celebration, the very sacredness of Jerusalem is especially evident for locals and visitors alike. But the sacredness of the Holy City and its inhabitants is increasingly threatened by consequences of the ongoing occupation, such as discrimination and violence.

A World Council of Churches webinar, held on the UN International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade on 25 March, offered prayers for the victims of slavery and stories of courage from descendants.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) convened an ecumenical roundtable consultation on the situation in Ukraine, which took place 30 March at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute.

A “human chain” singing for peace and a new hymn by Swedish composer and pastor Per Harling are just two of many creative ways people are expressing their yearning for peace.

In a letter to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, president of the Russian Federation, and Volodymyr Oleksandrovytch Zelensky, president of Ukraine, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca urged the leaders to listen to the cries of their own faithful people.

In a response to a letter from First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca expressed both his appreciation for her candid reflections as well as his own pain at the ongoing and increasingly grave humanitarian consequences of the conflict.

During a prayer service organized online on 21 March, the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Rev. Traci D. Blackmon, associate general minister, Justice & Local Church Ministries, United Church of Christ, reflected on what it means to stay silent in a world full of injustice.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will share regional daily prayers on antiracism in the week leading up to the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March.

During a Women’s Pilgrim Team Visit held on 8 March—International Women’s Day—women from North America and other parts of the globe continued to explore the theme “Stony the Road: Women’s Voices of Faith, Courage, Resistance & Resilience.” 

The visit was organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in collaboration with the National Council of Churches (USA).

The scope of human need is growing exponentially as the war continues between Russia and Ukraine — despite an international outcry for peace — and churches are offering vital assistance to thousands upon thousands of people.

A North American Women’s Pilgrim Team Visit on 28 February brought together poetry, prayer, very difficult questions, and, most of all, the impact—and pain—of telling the truth.