The war on terror will "never" be won "as long as there are conditions in the world that make people desperate," like dehumanizing poverty, disease and ignorance, Nobel laureate and former Archbishop Desmond Tutu told ecumenical participants at the start of the 2007 World Social Forum (WSF) in Nairobi.
Ceremonies in Nairobi's Holy Family Roman Catholic Basilica and All Saints Anglican Cathedral and a procession from one to the other church are part of events being organized by the All Africa Conference of Churches/Caritas Ecumenical Platform to mark the opening of the 7th World Social Forum (WSF).
In a statement released today, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has welcomed the affirmation that, after 2010, the "LWF and WARC would no longer hold global assemblies of their own, given a satisfactory development in this area". The affirmation was made by a joint meeting of the officers of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) with the executive committee of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
Having witnessed at first hand the terrible toll on civilian populations as well as the destruction caused by the current conflict in the region, the three members of an ecumenical pastoral delegation returning from a 10-15 August visit to Beirut and Jerusalem will report on their experiences at a
Joint appeal for an end to violence in the Middle East by the World Council of Churches, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Lutheran World Federation.
A joint appeal signed today by the leaders of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) calls "upon Israel and Hezbullah to end the fighting in Lebanon" and "upon the United States, the European Union, and the Arab States to exercise their influence toward this end". It also calls "upon the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza".
"Alternative globalization addressing people and earth - A call to love and action" : Prepared by the WCC commission for Justice, Peace and Creation, this call "to love and action" invites the churches to act together for transformation of economic injustice and to continue analyzing and reflecting on challenges of economic globalization and the link between wealth and poverty.
These guidelines - covering the roles of moderators, delegates and participants; setting the agenda; making decisions by consensus and by formal vote; election process; language and other elements - apply to the Assembly and to meetings of all bodies of the WCC.
Six ecumenical bodies, including the World Council of Churches (WCC), have appealed to the African Union and the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) to bring the government of Togo and opposition parties to the negotiating table so that they may together seek a solution to the current crisis.
In a time of globalization with increasing violence, fragmentation and exclusion, the mission of the church is to receive, celebrate, proclaim and work for reconciliation, healing and fullness of life in Christ. Come, Holy Spirit, heal and reconcile
