Search results

The Climate Sunday initiative is inviting local churches across Great Britain, Ireland and across the world to hold a climate-focused service on any Sunday before the United Nations climate change conference (COP26) begins in Glasgow on 31 October-12 November.

The members of the Ecumenical Forum for Peace and Justice in Cameroon, representing churches, church-based organizations, and networks committed to accompanying the churches and people of Cameroon, expressed in a statement how appalled they are by the continuing violence and targeted sectarian attacks against people and communities, including religious leaders and places of worship in Cameroon.

"If youth in Africa are united and reconcile with our past, we will be able to confront the stumbling blocks of the continent. If we are patriotic, if we have a passion for Africa, we can transform the continent to be a home and a future for all," said Collins Shava, youth executive secretary for the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), as he reflected on the Africa: My Home. My Future. campaign being undertaken by AACC to inspire young people to be patriotic to their countries and Africa at large by utilizing their talents towards building a thriving continent.

A diverse selection of 26 young people designated as stewards for the World Council of Churches (WCC) gathered online from 14-16 June 2021 to take part in an orientation of stewardship and ecumenical formation, designed to build awareness, develop leadership, and strengthen global solidarity, as well as an orientation on their participation in upcoming major WCC meetings. 

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.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee will convene via video conference from 23-29 June to prepare for the 11th WCC Assembly, taking place in 2022 in Karlsruhe, Germany under the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” The WCC governing body will also address business matters and strengthen the WCC fellowship through sharing and prayer. 

The ecumenical Eglise verte (Green church) movement in France held its first assembly of local groups and churches on World Environment Day, 5 June.

The 25th European Christian Internet Conference, held online on 19 May, addressed a question uppermost in many minds during the COVID-19 pandemic: what happens to us as people of God when we can’t meet up physically to worship God?

The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee is inviting the ecumenical fellowship and all people of good will to join in a live-streamed prayer for the Holy Land on 20 May at 16:30 CET.