“Holy Places and our Human Identities”, address of the World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca at the conference "International Religious Freedom and Peace – To Promote Freedom of Religion and Preservation of Spiritual, Cultural and Historical Heritage" held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin from 8-12 September 2021.
Der geschäftsführende Generalsekretär des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen (ÖRK), Priester Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca, hat sich am 31. August im Ökumenischen Institut in Bossey mit Dr. Muhammad Bin Abulkarim Al-Issa, dem Generalsekretär der in Mekka ansässigen Islamischen Weltliga, und mit Aamir Javed Sheikh, dem Präsidenten der norwegischen Stiftung „Foundation Dialogue for Peace“, getroffen.
Faith communities, governments, international organizations, foundations, the private sector, and civil society organizations are essential in every response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, told an interfaith gathering.
In the years since it was founded in 2016, the International Centre for Inter-Faith Peace and Harmony in Kaduna, Nigeria has been building a cadre of peacemakers who are witnesses to inter-religious peace and harmony. It also continues to serve as a physical symbol helping Muslims and Christians work together more effectively.
World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca offers reflections upon receiving the Bridge Builder Award for building bridges of understanding between people, nations, and communities at national and international levels. The award is presented by the Jury of the 14th August Committee Norway together with The Oslo Center.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is receiving a Bridge Builder Award for building bridges of understanding between people, nations, and communities at national and international levels. The award is presented by the Jury of the 14th August Committee Norway together with The Oslo Center.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace Reference Group and Theological Study Group, which convened in mid-June, brought reflections, prayers and insights that will form a path toward the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe in 2022.
Jim Winkler, president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches (USA) and Pastor Peter Noteboom, general secretary of The Canadian Council of Churches, shared reflections on their recent gathering.
World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca shared cordial greetings to Buddhist friends across the world observing the festival of Vesak. “May the values of compassion, loving kindness, empathy and equanimity taught by Gautama Buddha, whose birth, enlightenment and death you commemorate on this auspicious occasion, continue to inspire and guide you during this time of pandemic,” wrote Sauca. “We are living in an unprecedented time of uncertainty and widespread suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
His Beatitude the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, in a statement, condemned the violence practiced against civilians in East Jerusalem, especially in the Holy Sanctuary of Al Aqsa mosque and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
More than 40 interreligious advisors from the World Council of Churches (WCC) gathered for a webinar on 20 April to explore the increasingly important role of interreligious relations in the WCC’s work in international affairs.
This week, with the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, we pray for the churches and people of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia.
Prayers were prepared in cooperation with the Lutheran World Federation.
Women who are leading efforts in peace-building amid growing conflict across the world met online on 23 March, and their candid exchange combined personal inspiration, mutual encouragement—and a clarion call for their prophetic voices to be heard.
World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca participated in a virtual “High-Level Dialogue on Multi-religious Response to COVID-19 Vaccine” on 19 March with Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as leaders from other religious groups.
Rev. Martina Viktorie Kopecka, a priest in the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, is moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) ECHOS Commission for young people. She also serves on the WCC executive and central committees. In February, she was named a goodwill ambassador by H. E. Tomáš Petříček, minister of foreign affairs of the Czech Republic, a role she will serve for one year. Below, she reflects on her hopes and plans for sharing stories from the Czech Republic with the world, bridging divides in her home country, and, ultimately, bringing about new expressions of Christian love.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) and Religions for Peace are speaking out against gender-based violence and committing to widen religious participation in the Thursdays in Black campaign.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) and Religions for Peace speak out against gender-based violence and commit to widen religious participation in the Thursdays in Black campaign.
Our series of interviews with Thursdays in Black ambassadors highlights those who are playing a vital role in increasing the impact of our collective call for a world without rape and violence. Prof. Dr Azza Karam is Secretary General of Religions for Peace.
Address by Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri offering an ecumenical perspective on Fratelli tutti, the third encyclical of Pope Francis on fraternity and social friendship, during the webinar on International Women’s Day, 3 March 2021.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) observed the International Day of Human Fraternity on 4 February, emphasizing the significance and value of unity among our one human family.