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Sermon: A Way in the Wilderness

Reflection brought to the Ecumenical Centre morning prayer by Bishop Dr Staccato Powell, WCC Central Committee member for the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, during a meeting of the Assembly Planning Committee and on the same day as the new book of former general secretary Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser was presented to the public at the Ecumenical Centre, in the presence of the author. The event is par of a year-long series of events commemorating the WCC’s 70th anniversary.

Member church

Porto Alegre +10: pilgrim’s memories from the 9th Assembly of the WCC

I was standing in the control booth at the back of the auditorium when the moderator of the WCC Central Committee declared the 9th Assembly open, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on 14 February 2006. My friend Jean-Nicolas Bazin and I were surrounded by light and sound technicians and we had our eyes on the script of the opening plenary, making sure everything was flowing smoothly and according to plan.

A sobering retrospective of the Canberra Assembly 25 years ago

The incredibly complex issues that came to the fore in the 1991 WCC Canberra Assembly continue to echo in contemporary ecumenical history. In 1991, I had been in ecumenical work already sixteen years. I began my ecumenical career being in charge of the WCC relationship with the United Nations. But nothing could have prepared me for my Canberra assignment given by General Secretary Emilio Castro on behalf of the Executive Committee: to enable the membership of the China Christian Council by resolving the condition it placed on the WCC.

On the road for decent and sustainable work

According to the Bank of Italy, since 2008, 1,1 million work places have been cancelled. The unemployment rate has crossed the mark of twelve per cent (3,2 million people) and continues to rise. Among the young people, 43,3% are unemployed. Of course this situation affects also us, the members of the Protestant Churches in Italy. Nonetheless until now, there had been no grassroots debate on decent and sustainable work. In order to change this, a pilgrimage or caravan set out from Sicily in February 2015 and is passing through the Country toward the North within this year.

Peace and security in Latin America

The proposal by the Officers, in its meeting in December 2012, for a statement by the executive committee on Peace and Human Security in Latin America was discussed by the Public Issues Sub-Committee (PIC) and the PIC decided to propose the statement below for action by the executive committee.

Executive committee

Statement on the need for a strong and effective arms trade treaty

The WCC affirms an arms trade treaty as a legal instrument that has three complementary tasks. It must prevent arms transfers to states where the government poses a threat to its own people or to other states. It must improve trade controls so that, where there is a high risk of re-export or diversion to organized criminals or armed groups, arms smuggling and black market sales are reduced or stopped. The ATT must also serve to protect communities and save lives.

Executive committee