Address of bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the World Council of Churches central committee, at the WCC central committee meeting on 18-24 June 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee convened 12-16 May via video conference to complete regular business of the first half of the year; review preparations for the WCC central committee meeting, which will convene 18-24 June in Johannesburg, South Africa; and issue public statements and minutes about some of the world’s most pressing issues.
People in Ukraine observed their fourth Easter since the Russian invasion of their nation. Oleksandra Kovalenko, a member of the Ukrainian delegation at the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, and Valentyn Hrebennyk, a graduate of the WCC Ecumenical Institute at Bossey shares their Easter experience and encourages the WCC fellowship to continue praying for people of Ukraine.
World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay commemorated the 160th anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan with special greetings reflecting on the anniversary theme “Dwelling in God`s Abundance.” On 23 April 2025, Pillay preached during a service commemorating the anniversary.
During a visit with churches and communities in Bangladesh, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay met with religious leaders, participated in interfaith dialogues, and expressed solidarity for all those in Bangladesh coping with devastation from climate change.
At the beginning of the Holy Week of Easter, on 13 April, the celebration of Palm Sunday in the Ukrainian city of Sumy was transformed into a day of lamentation, by yet another Russian missile attack.
As people of faith representing diverse traditions, united in our common belief in the sanctity of life and the pursuit of justice, peace, and human dignity, we commend the States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) for your historic commitment and leadership in working toward a world without nuclear weapons. Each signature and ratification affirming this Treaty is an act of courage and beacon of hope, and we applaud you.
As 24 February marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay noted with sadness that the war continues without any immediate signs of an end.
24 February 2025 marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has provoked the bloodiest and most destructive war in Europe since the Second World War.
Peter Prove, director of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, offered a reflection at the 5th Global Forum Against the Crime of Genocide, held 12-13 December in Yerevan, Armenia.
"Existing Gaps and Challenges", keynote by Peter Prove, director of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches at the 5th Global Forum Against the Crime of Genocide, 12-13 December 2024, Yerevan, Armenia.
At a European Consultation on just peace in Warsaw, experts from across Europe explored the notion of just peace and listened to the voices of churches in Ukraine sharing their insights on true peace and justice amid the realities of the ongoing war.
As church leaders and organizations rally against Christian persecution in Sudan, a bishop has become the latest victim of the violence, in the country where war has destroyed church missions, schools, hospitals, and Christian villages.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) Executive Committee statement on the War in Gaza, Lebanon, and the Wider Middle East, adopted at the meeting in Cyprus on 21-26 November 2024.
