Latest News

The Universal House of Justice has announced plans for a new national Bahá’í temple to be established in the Philippines.

As the international conference “Berlin 1884–1885 and Anti-Black Racism: In Search of a Shared Anti-Racist Ecumenical Vision” opened on 18 May, those gathered in-person and online acknowledged that the deep wounds of colonialism carved 140 years ago are by no means healed. 

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe joined a 19-member Anglican delegation and tens of thousands of people who on May 18 attended Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration Mass in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square. Throughout the service, the pope returned to “unity,” a call he has stressed since his election. His “first great desire,” he said, was for a united church. “In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalizes the poorest,” Leo said. “For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world. We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles!” It is a message that is especially relevant today, Rowe, who also serves as primate of The Episcopal Church, told Episcopal News Service in a telephone interview. “Now more than ever, Christians need to show our unity; particularly in a divided world, we could be an expression of the body of Christ that is whole rather than fragmented,” Rowe said. “And the number of ecumenical guests present at today’s liturgy, and the way we were treated as extended family, is a sign of that unity.” Leo presided and preached during the solemn liturgy, which marked his official installation as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics. An estimated 100,000 people, including pilgrims, ecumenical representatives and world leaders, gathered in St. Peter’s Square and along the Via Della Conciliazione, or the Way of Conciliation, the boulevard leading into the square, for the Eucharist. In his homily, preaching in Italian, the pope said: “Following the death of Pope Francis, we felt like sheep without a shepherd, yet having received his final blessing on Easter Sunday, and with eyes of faith, hope and joy, we remembered how the Lord never abandons his people.” Francis died on April 21. A day earlier, from a balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica, he had blessed a crowd of tens of thousands gathered in the square to celebrate Easter. Francis’ death and Leo’s election and inauguration come during a jubilee year in the Roman Catholic Church, a special time of spiritual renewal, reconciliation and forgiveness occurring every 25 years and drawing thousands of Catholic pilgrims to Rome. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected on May 8 by the conclave of Roman Catholic cardinals. A native of Chicago, Illinois, the 69-year-old Leo is the first U.S.-born pope, though he has spent much of his career in ordained ministry outside the United States, including Peru. He is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Peru. In 2023, Francis brought him to the Vatican, where he served as prefect of the church’s Dicastery for Bishops. The pope expressed gratitude for those who prayed as the cardinals met in the conclave, and he said he felt “the working of the Holy Spirit, who was able to bring us into harmony, like musical instruments, so that our heartstrings could vibrate in a single melody.” “I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now with fear and trembling,” the pope said. “I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family.” The presiding bishop noted the Byzantine church was also well represented in the liturgy, with the Gospel of John (21:15–19) read in Latin and Greek. “And there’s a part in the liturgy where the pope receives his pallium, which is a sign of the office, and they say to him a Byzantine greeting,” Rowe said, which in English reads “God grant you many years.” “I always find that a moving piece of any liturgy,” Rowe said, “but to have East and West together, I think that’s a hopeful sign.” Archbishop Leonard Dawea of the Anglican Church of Melanesia, a member of the standing committee of the Anglican Primates’ Meeting who also serves on the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, led the delegation as one of four Anglican leaders who were formally invited by the Vatican to attend the inauguration. Rowe, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell and Archbishop John McDowell of the Church of Ireland also received formal invitations. Bishop Anthony Ball, director of the Anglican Centre in Rome and the archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See, and the Rt. Rev. Mark Edington, bishop of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, were among the full delegation of Anglicans in attendance. “I’m happy to lead the Anglican delegation to the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV. It is a privilege, but also a blessing to be present at the inauguration, and for the Anglican Church to be present there, a symbol of our unity and our shared mission,” Dawea said. The Anglican Communion is a network of 42 autonomous, yet interdependent, provinces, including The Episcopal Church, each with historical ties to the Church of England. The Anglican Centre in Rome has worked since 1966 to strengthen ties between the Anglican Communion’s provinces and the Roman Catholic Church. The delegation’s presence at the inauguration represented the prayers and support of Anglicans around the world as Leo begins his papacy. It was also meant to embody the commitment of the Anglican Communion to walk in friendship and partnership with the Catholic Church. “I was honored to be invited by the Diocese of Rome as the bishop of a church based in Rome – the historic Saint Paul’s Within the Walls, first gathered in 1860,” Edington told ENS. “The gathering this morning at the Vatican showed the full range of ecumenical relationships in a single tableau – and Pope Leo’s eloquent call for unity among Christians will surely strengthen the […]

In a united call for economic justice, church leaders, theologians, activists and mission practitioners from around the world gathered in London for a consultation organized by the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) and the Council for World Mission (CWM). The consultation, part of the “Turn Debt into Hope” campaign, called for the immediate cancellation […]

The post Global Church Consultation Calls for Immediate Cancellation of Illegitimate Debt appeared first on WCRC.

Fifth Sunday of Easter Love One Another One of the church’s fundamental principles is the doctrine of the imago Dei: every individual is created in God’s image and likeness and is deeply loved and valued by God. God’s unconditional love for all produces in the people of God God’s very character, holiness, purity, and the […]

Maria Bahati, a young refugee in Tanzania’s Nyarugusu Camp, transformed her family’s future through CWS’s WEZESHA Project—overcoming gender barriers, gaining farming skills, and inspiring her husband and community to embrace gender equality. Her journey highlights how empowerment and collaboration can lead to lasting change. Breaking Barriers: Maria’s First Steps Toward Empowerment Forced to flee her home at a young age, ... Read More

Daria, a courageous 14-year-old from Ukraine, was forced to leave her home and family behind as war threatened her safety and peace of mind. In Moldova, she found not only refuge but a renewed sense of purpose at the CWS partner-led Anastasis Educational Center—a place where she could learn, grow and dream again without fear.  A Childhood Interrupted by War  ... Read More

Join our webinar to unpack the findings of the report, ask questions and discuss what this means for the evangelical church.

Is the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) in July the last chance for communication justice? The high-level event will review progress in the past 20 years toward the WSIS vision of a people-centered, inclusive, and development-oriented information society. It may the final opportunity...

Noting the situation in Haiti has deteriorated markedly, the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, in a minute on Haiti, urged more international attention and engagement.