World Council of Churches

Just a short drive from Malmö city centre in southern Sweden sits Rosengård – a neighbourhood built in the 1960s as part of a nation-wide so-called “million programme”, through which the Swedish state set out to build one million affordable and functional housing units across the country, mainly intended for working class families. Though in itself a groundbreaking housing programme, it was not specifically designed with a multicultural reality in mind.

A webinar hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Canadian Council of Churches on 17 September brought forth voices on the topic “Counting the Ecological Cost of AI - Data Centres, Water, Energy, and Critical Mineral Extraction."

The World Council of Churches (WCC), on 16 September, hosted a group from the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) of the United Methodist Church. The visitors received a welcome to the WCC, then entered into a conversation with WCC staff on global migration issues within the European context.

Sight Loss Sunday, an annual awareness day for churches to celebrate blind and partially sighted members and make services more accessible, is on 11 October. Organized by the UK-based Torch Trust, the special day will explore the theme “Who does God call?”

Seventeen fellows and representatives from the International Geneva Peace Fellowship Programme visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 4 September as part of a community-building initiative—including fellow Wendyam Hervé Lankoandé, who will work at the WCC. 

Governments signed the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030), a ten-year promise to act on growing old. On 16 September, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing asked where churches belong inside it, opening an online webinar that Dr Gisela Schneider said set European and African experience beside that of India and Hong Kong.

The Faith and Science Working Group is part of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing. It evaluates modern technological and scientific advancements through theological and ethical lenses, focusing on human dignity, digital justice, and existential risks. 

Bishop emeritus Dr Jonas Jonson, during a keynote address at the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation in Seoul, Republic of Korea, spoke on “Just Peace and the Vocation of the Church.” He began by positing that, even in apocalyptic times, believers are ceaselessly called to plant in faith what may blossom and bear fruit in an unknown future.  

Faith leaders, faith-based organizations, and climate actors in Africa are demanding urgent implementation of existing climate commitments ahead of the 32nd Conference of the Parties (COP32) in November 2027 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has released a liturgy, reflection, and prayers for the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel 2026, which runs from 20-26 September. With a focus on protecting children, the theme this year is from Psalms 127:3, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.” 

The GINGKO Interfaith Fellowship Retreat 2026 brought together scholars, religious leaders, and practitioners from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim backgrounds to explore the theme “Hospitality as a Means to Deepen the Encounter.”

As actions and policies of governments, state authorities, and armed factions create millions of refugees and stateless people in Africa, church and faith-based organizations have become key respondents, offering humanitarian relief, advocacy, and spiritual support.

During a sermon at the St Hedwig’s Cathedral in Berlin on 15 September, World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee moderator Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm commemorated the signing of Charta Oecumenica.

Peace cannot be built on an economy that runs on war. That is the assertion of a theological communique released by churches meeting in Panama City. It asks governments to redirect military spending toward poverty and climate, and it asks the churches to move their own money first.

On Tuesday 15 September, the WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay received a delegation from the Russian Orthodox Church, headed by H.E. Metropolitan Anthony, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the WCC central committee, also took part in the meeting via remote link.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Reference Group for the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity (PJRU) will meet in person from 17 to 22 September in Vancouver, Canada. The gathering will be hosted by the Vancouver School of Theology at the University of British Columbia, together with the Canadian Council of Churches.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended warm greetings and good wishes to Jewish communities around the world as they celebrate Rosh Hashanah, welcome the year 5787, and prepare to observe Yom Kippur.

The 2026 World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Formation Seminar brought 15 participants together from 7 to 11 September for a week of reflection, relationship-building, and exploration of possibilities for collective action.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay offered special greetings and prayers from the whole ecumenical community for the 111th General Assembly of Presbyterian Church of Korea.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay sent greetings to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea.