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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.

Hosting refugees, providing food, helping in hospitals, and ringing church bells as a warning when shelling starts—these are some of the many ways churches are responding in Ukraine and bordering countries as the war continues. More than two million people have poured out of Ukraine, and estimates from relief groups show that 18 million people—a third of the country’s population—will need humanitarian assistance.

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.

Church leaders in Iran warmly welcomed WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca and the WCC delegation: Prof. Dr Simone Sinn, dean of the Bossey Ecumenical Institute and Dr Abraham Silo Wilar, programme executive for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation, during their visit to the country in the first week of March. Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Diocese of Teheran, met them at the premises of the Saint Sarkis Cathedral in Tehran with members of his church.

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.

The World Council of Churches denounces any and every use of deadly armed force to resolve disputes that could be resolved by dialogue.

An upcoming “Week of Neighbours” programme will offer 56 online events from 20-24 February that focus on accompanying people on the move from an interreligious perspective. 

A “Go for Gender Justice” initiative was launched by the Protestant Church in Germany in Berlin on 1 February with calls for overcoming gender clichés and traditional role models. Germany’s "First Lady,” the judge Elke Büdenbender called on women and men to fight together for social change. Under the motto "Go for Gender Justice,” nine regional churches invited people to move together toward gender equality.

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca called on the Palestinian Authority to investigate recent attacks on Christians in the West Bank, and to ensure justice and dignity for all citizens.  “The WCC call follows two attacks last week against Christians in the Nablus and Bethlehem areas,” said Sauca.

The Rewa River is the longest and widest river in Fiji on the island of Viti Levu, originating in Tomanivi, the highest peak in the country, and is of enormous importance to local indigenous culture, explains Rev. James Bhagwan.

As general secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, Bhagwan offered opening remarks and prayers at a World Council of Churches (WCC) webinar titled "Food from Oceans, Rivers and Lakes" on 28 January with participants from every part of planet earth.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) was honoured as a top non-governmental organization for its work during 2021, receiving a third-place Geneva Engage Award on 1 February for effective and inspiring social media outreach and engagement.

After an attack on Rabbis for Human Rights and the Palestinians they were accompanying, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca shared prayers of healing for those injured and of solidarity with those working for peace.