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On 9 December, Pope Francis received in a private audience World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, accompanied by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The feast of St Andrew, the first-called apostle, founder of the Church of Constantinople according to the tradition, is honored as the Thronal Feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. At this occasion, a solemn celebration took place at the Patriarchal Church of St George at Phanar, Istanbul, on 30 November.

An upcoming webinar on 2 December will explore the theme ““The whole people of God: the roles and ministries in the church” as part of a continuing series offered by the World Council of Churches Faith and Order Commission.

The Executive Committee of the Joint Working Group between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church met at the WCC Bossey Ecumenical Institute on 4-5 November, its first in-person meeting since COVID-19 forced meetings to be online.

Der Exekutivausschuss der gemeinsamen Arbeitsgruppe des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen (ÖRK) und der römisch-katholischen Kirche traf sich am 12. Oktober online, um sich über die gegenwärtigen Herausforderungen auszutauschen und die Veröffentlichung verschiedener Publikationen zu planen.

El Comité Ejecutivo del Grupo Mixto de Trabajo entre la Iglesia Católica Romana y el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) mantuvo una reunión virtual el 12 de octubre para intercambiar reflexiones en torno a los desafíos actuales y planificar la publicación de diversos documentos.

The Executive Committee of the Joint Working Group between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Roman Catholic Church met virtually on 12 October to exchange reflections on addressing current challenges and to plan release of future publications.

Leaders from the Protestant Church in Switzerland visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva on 1 October, focusing on highlights of the WCC’s work in the past two decades and looking ahead to plans for the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany in 2022.

The city of Geneva is planning to rename a street for Annie Jiagge (1918-1996), who was the first African woman to be a World Council of Churches (WCC) president (1975-83). She was also moderator of the WCC’s commission on the Programme to Combat Racism.

Churches and schools in South Sudan are providing shelter to displaced populations after floods—caused by early seasonal rainfall— submerged their homes and farmland.

For the first time, the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and Anglican Communion have jointly warned of the urgency of environmental sustainability, its impact on poverty, and the importance of global cooperation.

During an ecumenical service in Aachen Cathedral, on 28 August, Protestant and Roman Catholic churches in Germany as well as the churches affiliated to the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen (Working Group of Christian Churches) will jointly remember and honor the victims of the floods that severely hit the region.

The Tokyo Olympic Games have begun one year late in one of the world's biggest cities. There are no spectators—and little of the usual spiritual support from churches and no official Olympic Village prayer room.

In times of involuntary isolation due to lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, online ecumenical retreats have emerged as an alternative place for spiritual dialogue. In Sweden, a series of four so-called “Quiet Days” retreats, where participants join online in a digital room to share a moment of stillness and reflection, were launched on the Eve of Pentecost. Initiated already last year under the headline “A spiritual dwelling for God,” by Lutheran Bishop Karin Johannesson from the Diocese of Uppsala, Sweden and co-hosted by Cardinal Anders Arborelius from the Roman Catholic Church in Sweden, the retreats have been expanded this year with English subtitles to also attract international audiences.  

The Middle East Council of Churches, based in Beirut, Lebanon, has been the convener for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022 drafting group. The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Vatican have now published the material in several languages.

A webinar on moral discernment, held in June, presented a new study document approved by the World Council of Churches Faith and Order Commission earlier this year.

The study document “Churches and Moral Discernment: Facilitating Dialogue to Build Koinonia,” harvests the fruits of the study process which began in 2015.