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[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, in a sermon Feb. 2 during his ceremonial seating at Washington National Cathedral, spoke out against contemporary political divisions as “not of God” and lifted up immigrants, transgender people, the poor and other marginalized communities as central to the kingdom Jesus envisioned. “We live in a world in which the enemy is bound and determined to sow division among us, to make us forget who we are and to what kingdom we belong,” Rowe said in his 15-minute sermon. “God did not come among us as a strongman. God came among us as a child.” Invoking the day’s reading from the Gospel of Luke, the presentation of Jesus at the temple, Rowe highlighted how the temple’s elders recognized that this “poor child born in a backwater to peasant parents” would upend the top-down order upheld by the authorities of Jesus’ time and our own. “We’re beset by the powers and principalities of the world that don’t see it the way Jesus does. We’re told by the kings and the rulers of the day that the rich shall be first, that somehow compassion is weakness,” Rowe said, “that differences of race, class, gender identity, human sexuality are all divisions that must somehow separate us, and that we should regard migrants and strangers and those among us that we don’t understand with fear and contempt. “But those divisions are not of God. … In God’s kingdom, immigrants and refugees, transgender people, the poor and the marginalized are not at the edges, fearful and alone. They are at the center of the Gospel story.” Jesus does more than extend the boundaries of acceptance, Rowe continued. “Those who have been considered at the margins are at the center. They are the bearers of the salvation of the world. Their struggles reveal to us the kingdom of God.” Rowe preached less than two weeks after Washington Bishop Mariann Budde’s Jan. 21 sermon at Washington National Cathedral’s post-inauguration prayer service. Budde drew widespread national and international attention and scrutiny when she addressed her closing remarks directly to President Donald Trump, who was sitting in the front row. Like Rowe, Budde centered the concerns of LGBTQ+ Americans and immigrants, asking Trump to “have mercy” as he starts his second term. Budde returned to the cathedral Feb. 2 to preside at the Sunday Eucharist that featured Rowe’s ceremonial seating. Washington National Cathedral is known as the formal seat of The Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop and the bishop of the Diocese of Washington. Rowe, who began his nine-year term as the church’s denominational leader on Nov. 1, forwent a large installation service at the National Cathedral, where The Episcopal Church traditionally has celebrated its new presiding bishops. Instead, he began his term with a more intimate investiture in the chapel at the church’s New York headquarters that was livestreamed to a churchwide audience. Though not an installation, the Feb. 2 service was a nod to church custom as the crowd of in-person worshipers joined a large livestream audience for Rowe’s cathedral seating. Before processing into the cathedral, Rowe knocked three times on the Great West Doors with the end of his primatial staff, given to him three months earlier by his predecessor, former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Behind the altar, Budde and the Very Rev. Randy Hollerith, the cathedral’s dean, invited him to take his seat in the Great Choir. “Oh Lord, my God, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, yet you have honored your servant to stand in your house, to speak in your name, to serve at your altar and to serve your people,” Rowe prayed. “To you and to your service I devote myself, body, soul and spirit.” Budde and Hollerith then escorted Rowe to face the worshippers standing in the sanctuary. “Would you greet your new presiding bishop,” Budde exclaimed, and the congregation showered Rowe with applause. – David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

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[Church of England] The Rt. Rev. John Perumbalath, bishop of Liverpool, England, retired on Jan. 30 in advance of a television network’s announcement that they would broadcast allegations of inappropriate behavior toward two women. He stated that the claims, made in 2023, were found to be unsubstantiated. Here is the statement from Perumbalath: Having sought the permission of His Majesty the King, I have today taken the decision to retire from active ministry in the Church of England. Earlier this week, I was approached by Channel 4 News who informed me they would be broadcasting a story containing allegations of inappropriate behavior by me against two different women. Since those allegations were made, I have consistently maintained that I have not done anything wrong and continue to do so. Since the claims were made in 2023, they have been investigated and considered by experts from the National Safeguarding Team and had found them unsubstantiated. The first allegation was also investigated by the police resulting in no further action. Despite this, media reports have treated me as guilty on all charges and treated these allegations as fact. Further it has been erroneously reported that prior to my appointment as Bishop of Liverpool, I had failed the safeguarding assessment process. This is categorically not true. As the Church of England have made clear in their written statements over the past 48 hours responding to these false claims, the National Safeguarding Team found no concerns about my operational safeguarding experience and recommended some development work for me as I took on additional strategic safeguarding responsibilities – which is commonly the case for new diocesan bishops. This rush to judgment and my trial by media (be that social or broadcast) has made my position untenable due to the impact it will have on the Diocese of Liverpool and the wider church whilst we await further reviews and next steps. I do not wish this story to become a distraction for this incredible diocese and its people whom it has been an honor and joy to serve. This is not a resignation occasioned by fault or by any admission of liability. Rather it has become clear that stepping back from my ministry and waiting for the completion of further reviews would mean a long period of uncertainty for the diocese and all those who serve it. I have taken this decision for my own well-being and the best interests of the diocese. The exact date when my role will formally end is not yet determined. There are protocols to observe that I will now be attending to. But I step back from my ministry today. This means I will not be ministering in or leading the diocese with immediate effect. I have informed the Archbishop of York of my decision and I understand he will put in place the necessary arrangements for episcopal oversight of the diocese for the remainder of my time here and during the vacancy. Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell made this statement: I acknowledge the decision made by the Rt. Revd. Dr. John Perumbalath to resign from active ministry in the Church of England. I respect his decision and thank him for his ministry. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with all those who have been affected by this situation. I am committed to ensuring stability during this time of transition and will be putting the necessary arrangements in place to provide episcopal oversight for the diocese. An acting bishop for the Diocese of Liverpool will be announced in the coming days.

[Anglican Communion News Service] The Anglican bishop of Goma has said people are “terrified in their homes” as fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo city continues to escalate. The Rt. Rev. Martin Gordon, who has recently evacuated Goma along with other peacekeepers, has shared “The Goma Call for Peace” urging the international community to act immediately and decisively for peace in eastern DRC. Gordon has described the situation in the city of Goma as having “… no power and many areas no water. The M23 [rebel group] seems to have control of large parts of the city. The Congolese army are resisting in other areas. Civilians are being caught in the crossfire. Bodies are lying in the streets. “Four thousand prisoners have escaped. The Internally Displaced Persons camps have emptied as people flee to the city center, and churches are filling as places of refuge. Hospitals are overwhelmed. The price of basic food has doubled. Most people are terrified in their homes. Many are asking why they are being forgotten. The region is at a turning point and needs the international community to act immediately and decisively.” Gordon, an ordained Church of England priest, has been serving as the bishop for the Diocese of Goma, in the Anglican Church of the Congo (Province de L’Eglise Anglicane Du Congo). He became bishop of Goma in 2023, and his family relocated to Goma after serving in the United Kingdom for many years. During his ministry, he has been engaged in peace and reconciliation work with other faith groups and United Nations bodies. In recent days, rebels from the Rwanda-backed M23 have been fighting for control and captured much of the eastern city of Goma. Conflict between the M23 and the country’s army has intensified since the start of the year, with rebels taking control of more territory and Rwandan Defense Forces increasingly involved. On Jan. 28, Gordon issued “The Goma Call for Peace” to the international community, urging for people to pray for Goma and the ongoing peace work on the ground, to see an immediate cessation of fighting and a rapid humanitarian response. Here is the text of the call document: Call from the Bishop of Goma for the international community to act immediately and decisively for peace in eastern DRC. With the escalation of the conflict in eastern DRC following Sunday’s incursion of Rwandan troops into Congolese sovereign territory on the Goma/Rubavu border, and mindful of the subsequent humanitarian and security risks in the region, the international community must act now. In solidarity with those suffering in Goma and across eastern DRC, we call for: 1. The immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities and respect of the existing ceasefire agreement. 2. The protection of the civilian population and an urgent humanitarian response including the restoration of power and water to the city. 3. The withdrawal of those external forces from DRC soil which are in clear violation of DRC’s territorial sovereignty. This includes the M23 and the RDF. 4. A resumption of dialogue in good faith between Kigali and Kinshasa believing that peaceful and diplomatic means are the only way to end the conflict which has already caused untold suffering. 5. The international community to invest every effort and to consider using all possible means to bring peace to eastern DRC. People in the region want only peace. By Jan. 29, there have reportedly been at least 17 foreign peacekeepers killed in Goma. Thousands have been newly displaced in recent days. The fighting is occurring against a backdrop of conflict in the mineral-rich region over the last 30 years. Various armed groups have competed with the central authorities for power and control of the potential fortune in this vast nation. This conflict has already taken over 6 million lives, created 1 million refugees, displaced 6.5 million people and inflicted unimaginable suffering on thousands of women through sexual violence. In supporting Gordon’s call, the Most Rev. Georges Titre, archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Congo, said, “I pray incessantly for our brothers and sisters in Goma who know so well the pain of conflict. With Bishop Martin, I call for the international community to act and I add my support to the Goma Call for Peace. Immediate aid is desperately needed for those suffering most and our cries for peace need finally to be heard and acted upon. We have suffered for far too long. We put our hope in Christ and trust in the swift response of the international community.” The archbishop of Southern Africa, the Most Rev. Thabo Makgoba backed the call for peace, saying, “We are at a moment when we can choose to come together in the pursuit of peace or the international community can turn away and allow the suffering of the innocent. I join my brothers and sisters in supporting the Goma Call for Peace.” The secretary general of the Anglican Communion, the Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo said: “The rising conflict in Goma is causing a growing humanitarian crisis, causing loss of life, violence and trauma. We pray for all those affected by the conflict and for the work of the church and other peacekeeping agencies in the region. May the churches of the Anglican Communion around the world do all that we can to respond and urge our international leaders to work for peace and stability.”

Since its launch in 2021, the annual Moravian Day of Giving has become a cherished tradition of faith, hope, and generosity, uniting Moravians across North America to support the ministries and missions close to our hearts. On March 4, 2025, we will celebrate the 5th Moravian Day of Giving, commemorating five years of inspired giving […]

The World Council of Churches (WCC) received Finnish ambassador Jan Wahlberg to discuss peace-building, with a special focus on Colombia, the Middle East, and Africa. WCC staff and Wahlberg also reflected together on inter-religious dialogue, climate justice, and mental health. 

Members of Kazakhstan’s Bahá’í Office of Public Affairs discuss how collective exploration of spiritual principles over the years is fostering societal harmony.

The United Church of Canada marks International Development Week 2025 with inspiring stories of global partnerships addressing inequality, hunger, climate change, and poverty. Join us in celebrating… continue reading

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Good News for More Than Me  A good sermon encourages, challenges, and maybe even aggravates the gathered community. Jesus shares a good sermon in Luke’s Gospel, bringing words of hopeful change for the poor, liberation from oppression, and recovery for those blinded by injustice (Luke 4:18–19). Jesus’ words surely resonate […]

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) is alarmed by the freeze on federal funding, grants, and loans to 2,600 domestic programs and international aid packages that provide assistance and support to millions of people in our nation and around the world. The freeze on funding, which lacks transparency about which programs are affected, is both illegal and immoral.

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