Displaying 161 - 180 of 584

Religions for Peace calls for "shared well-being”

In a declaration on 23 August, the 10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace called for caring for our common future and advancing shared well-being. The assembly, held in Lindau, Germany, drew 900 people from 125 countries.

WCC to youth: “Is this the world we bequeath to you?”

On 12 August, International Youth Day, World Council of Churches deputy general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri greeted young people gathered in Geneva, Switzerland.
International Youth Day, Phiri reflected, takes place in a time of increased international tensions, looming climatic deadlines, increasing disparities of income and wealth, and great rents in the social fabric of our societies.

WCC General Secretary International Youth Day Greetings

It is with heartfelt sincerity and even a certain urgency that I greet you today in the name of the global fellowship of Christians that is the World Council of Churches. On this 19th celebration of International Youth Day, I especially greet those of you gathered in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and in Geneva, Switzerland.
Urgency, for we know that your gathering takes place in a time of increased international tensions, looming climatic deadlines, increasing disparities of income and wealth, and great rents in the social fabric of our societies.

General Secretary

WCC supports Zacchaeus campaign for tax justice

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is supporting a new ecumenical campaign advocating for tax justice, called the Zacchaeus Project (#ZacTAX), that was launched 11 July at the United Nations in New York City.

Taxation and reparations – tools for promoting equity, climate justice and an economy of life

11 July 2019

The side-event will be an opportunity to explore how taxation and reparations can contribute to “Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality,” the theme of the 2019 High-Level Political Forum on the SDGs (08-17 July 2019, New York). Rising inequality – often rooted in historical injustices – and runaway climate change are fuelling poverty, social disintegration and conflicts around the world.

Church Center for the United Nations, New York

Faltering Colombian peace process needs urgent work

When a wide-ranging ecumenical group discussed “Transitional Justice in Colombia, implications for the peace process”, many of the speakers seemed worried that the great hope there was back in 2016 seems to have dissipated and much more work for peace is needed.

The WCC Executive Committee Statement: The Global Biodiversity Crisis and the Urgent Need For Structural Change

The report points out that underlying these disturbing trends are “production and consumption patterns, human population dynamics and trends, trade, technological innovations and local through global governance.”
In every single area of recommended action, churches are well-placed to make significant contributions. We have the capacity and the responsibility to act.

Executive committee

Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit’s address to the Seminar on Food and Water for Life (Hong Kong, 4 May 2019)

Food is central to life and our faith. It is a blessing and a gift of God, in the form of the abundant creation which we depend on for our sustenance. Food is also a reflection of the quality of our relationships with each other- our caring for the other and the sharing of resources and the hospitality we show each other. Food is central to our worship life, our liturgy and the Eucharist, which helps us to be one with God and with each other.

General Secretary

Sustainable resourcing for sustainable development

Bishop Ingeborg Midttømme, from the Church of Norway, serves at the diocese of Møre, in the northwestern part of the Scandinavian country. She is also a board member of Norwegian Church Aid. Over the past years, she has been an active participant in international events that focus on the global agenda on sustainable development, such as the United Nations annual climate conferences.

Prayer service hails churches’ involvement in the fight against inequality

“Inequality hurts us all and goes against God’s vision of life in abundance for every human being”, said Athena Peralta, World Council of Churches (WCC) programme executive for economic and ecological justice, at a prayer service on the occasion of the Week of Action to Fight Inequality, held at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, on 21 January.

Worship on the Occasion of the Week of Action to Fight Inequality

21 January 2019

During the week of 18-25 January, we celebrate two important events: the Week of Action to Fight Inequality and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which has as its theme for 2019, “justice and only justice you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16, 18-20). As Christians, we are a diverse, worldwide family. Jesus calls us to be the light of the world, to preach the good news to those that have less. Where can our worldwide network serve as a light in a world of tremendous inequalities? Where can the Holy Spirit help us to come together as one and discover our potential for enacting change?

Chapel of the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, Switzerland