As the latest set of World Council of Churches (WCC) ecumenical accompaniers left Palestine and Israel, ushering in a new set who will take the mantle, a handover ceremony brought heartfelt prayers for a just peace in the region.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, on behalf of WCC member churches, said that the WCC cannot reconcile the Decree of the XXV World Russian People's Council describing the conflict in Ukraine as a “Holy War.”
The World Council of Churches (WCC), a global fellowship of 352 churches representing more than half a billion Christians from around the world, has been deeply involved in the work of the United Nations from as early as 1946 through its Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA). The WCC is a platform for common action by churches on issues that negate or threaten the dignity of all people.
Greetings to the 4th Global Gathering of the Global Christian Forum in Accra, Ghana by Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches.
During a World Council of Churches morning prayer—focusing on the churches and people of Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine – a reflection by Prof. Dr Dmytro Tsolin focused on both the pain of the war in Ukraine as well as how we hang onto hope.
Reflection on Acts 4:5-12 by Prof. Dr Dmytro Tsolin, pastor of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ukraine and professor at the Department of Biblical Studies of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, during a World Council of Churches morning prayer focusing on both the pain of the war in Ukraine as well as how we hang onto hope.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, on behalf of WCC member churches, said that the WCC cannot reconcile the Decree of the XXV World Russian People's Council describing the conflict in Ukraine as a “Holy War.”
World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay sent a pastoral letter to Haitian brothers and sisters whose lives are lived in a land with hatred, violence, and suffering. “Although we might be physically distant, we are close to you in heart, in the spiritual sense,” wrote Pillay. “We all are children of God. We belong to one family, as Jesus Christ himself said.”
His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany of Kyiv and All Ukraine visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 10 April at the request of the WCC general secretary, the Rev. Prof Dr Jerry Pillay, to discuss the current situation in Ukraine, the role of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine (OCU) in working toward peace, the continued involvement of the WCC in addressing the war, and the process for membership with the WCC.
Peace in Colombia has been a long time coming, began Juan Carlos Cuéllar, representative of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), as he spoke at a World Council of Churches (WCC) panel discussion titled "The things that make for peace in Colombia” on 9 April.
Churches in South Sudan shared Easter messages of hope, even amid troubling times for the African nation.The South Sudan Council of Churches, in its message, emphasized renewed hope. “In today’s world, marked by so many conflicts and so much suffering, we understand that many of us feel disheartened,” reads the message.
World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay condemned the killing of aid workers in Gaza, and extended condolences to the families and friends who are in shock and mourning upon hearing the news that an Israeli airstrike killed seven people working for World Central Kitchen.
Ecumenical leaders, including World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, gathered with several hundred people, filling St Pierre Cathedral in Geneva with the sounds and songs of Easter joy.
Ecumenical leaders, including World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, gathered with several hundred people, filling St Pierre Cathedral in Geneva on 30 March 2024, with the sounds and songs of Easter joy.
Bishop Anthony Poggo, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, made a solidarity visit to the Episcopal Church of Sudan, hosted by Most Rev. Ezekiel Kondo, primate of Sudan.
On Palm Sunday, accompaniers from the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel walked in the traditional procession, carrying messages of solidarity with Gaza Christians during an especially painful time.
Churches in South Sudan are appealing for humanitarian assistance, amidst fears that the consequences of climate change, macro-economic shocks, and the war in Sudan could sink the country further into the worst humanitarian crisis since independence.
The seventh reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2024 series of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network is written by Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri. She reflects on one of earliest conflicts over water recorded in the Bible, and draws our attention to today’s water conflicts, giving examples of transboundary water conflicts in her region in Africa. She highlights Isaac, who chose peace over conflict related to water, time after time—a fitting message for the World Water Day 2024 and its theme, “Water for Peace.”