Search results

The World Council of Churches (WCC) congratulates the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) on its 50th Jubilee. 

Message to the General Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church (NGK) in South Africa from Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches.

WCC congratulates Most Rev. Julius Olayinka Osayand Abbe upon enthronement as Primate of The Africa Church

A letter signed by 115 organizations, representing five world faith traditions, called on World Trade Organization member countries to act before year’s end to waive Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights rules. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca conveyed greetings, along with a sense of concern, to the WCC’s Muslim colleagues and partners around the world as they observe Eid al-Fitr.

On behalf of the World Council of Churches (WCC), WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca sent warm greetings to all Muslims around the world celebrating Eid al-Fitr.

We live in the time-space of uncreated grace, a gentle urgency that encourages us to live our contingency in view of eternity.

Greetings to H.B. Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church of Babylon from Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary

The journey of the disciples to Emmaus in Luke 24 is not a pilgrimage toward Jerusalem but leaving it disillusionment. It is a journey of finding our hearts burning as the disciples of Emmaus’s hearts were burning at the moment of sharing a meal. The text invites us to find our own Emmaus where our heart to be kindled. Each of us meets unknown pilgrims who hide an unknown Jesus, but especially meets and encounters him- or herself, discovers that that he or she has a heart that hopes, eyes to see and ears to listen, and finds him- or herself in full solidarity with every human being. The story speaks about three places in which we meet the Risen Christ: scripture, eucharist, and community. It is a pilgrimage of hope and of expectation by listening to the Word, breaking the bread, and hearing the voice of the other because everyone is created in God’s image.

The prophet Micah asks a crucial question in the midst of injustice and violence in 8th-century B.C.E. Judean society: “What does God expect of you?” This is also a question that we must ask ourselves today as we are invited to join in the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. The answer is clear: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). The first two commands stand at the centre of Israel’s faith-talk, concerning the love of neighbour (Lev. 19:18) and the love of God (Deut. 6:5). The third command is to walk humbly, which could be misleading. To walk humbly is the opposite of walking proudly or self-righteously, and actually invites us to the faith journey of self-giving, self-sacrifice, and self-emptying. So the question, “What does God expect of you?” leads us to the restoration of God’s image in us and is an invitation to become agents of transformation in the world.

In a letter to the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, His Eminence Professor Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed his profound condolences following an attack on a Sufi mosque in Egypt’s North Sinai region in which hundreds of people were killed.

Continuing the tradition of offering greetings to interreligious partners during festive seasons, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit offered greetings to Hindu religious partners on the occasion of Diwali, a Hindu festival of lights.

The migration of Ruth to Bethlehem can be understood as a kind of pilgrimage because she chose to immigrate as a form of solidarity with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Her journey of migration changes Ruth’s beliefs, values, and path of life. The text speaks about two stories of immigration—the first one is caused by scarcity of basic provisions, and the second one is propelled by solidarity. We can see similarities between pilgrimage and immigration. There are shared elements of journey, importance, unpredictability, encounters, conversion, solidarity, openness, closeness, and divine providence. The story of Ruth and Naomi provides a biblical understanding of pilgrimage of justice and peace in relation to immigration.

Greetings of peace and prosperity to Hindus on the occasion of Diwali.

Learning from the implementation of Channels of Hope for Child Protection in Malawi.

WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit's letter to Nigerian president-elect Muhammadu Buhari congratulating him.

Letter from the WCC general secretary to the Indian churches, addressed to National Council of Churches in India, expressing solidarity and support amidst increasing acts of violence and vandalism affecting Christian community

Letter from the WCC general secretary to Pakistani churches, following attackes on churches in Lahores, addressed to Bishop Samuel R. Azariah and Rev. Arif Masih Siraj.

Letter to Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt by the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit on killings of 21 Egyptians at the hands of militants.