World Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches is mourning the passing of Dr Arnold Georg Bittlinger, who died 23 March. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay commemorated the 160th anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan with special greetings reflecting on the anniversary theme “Dwelling in God`s Abundance.” 

Christians from all of France’s main church traditions packed the newly restored Notre Dame cathedral in Paris to celebrate Easter Sunday together, which in a rare occurrence is being marked in 2025 on the same day by Eastern and Western churches. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended greetings to the Communion of Churches in Indonesia, celebrating its 75th anniversary.

In a pastoral letter on the death of Pope Francis, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay and WCC central committee moderator Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm expressed both deep sorrow and unwavering hope upon the passing of Pope Francis on 21 April. 

As the World Council of Churches (WCC) marked the 12th anniversary of the abduction of Metropolitans Paul Yazigi and Youhanna Ibrahim on April 23, “our hearts remain heavy with longing and prayer,” said WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay. 

As World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay visited Taiwan to attend the 70th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, he shared reflections on transitional justice. 

The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem emphatically condemned the “egregious violations that desecrated the sanctity of Jerusalem” on 19 April, particularly in the Old City and around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, during the celebration of Holy Fire Saturday.

On Holy Fire Saturday, hundreds of Christian worshippers seeking to enter Jerusalem’s Old City for the celebration were prevented; others were met with heavily enforced checkpoints, physical and verbal harassment, and widespread restrictions by Israeli police and border forces.

The world today learned of the death of Pope Francis, the bishop of Rome and leader of the world’s 1.37 billion Catholics.

In this exclusive conversation, we speak with His Eminence Metropolitan Job of Pisidia, vice moderator of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches.

The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem proclaim to the world an Easter message of life and hope. “It is the same message first announced to the women who had come to mourn at Christ's tomb,” the text notes. “The Lord had risen indeed!”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) organized a joint seminar on 16 April at the National Council of Churches in India in collaboration with the India Peace Center, Nagpur, India. The seminar launched a series of webinars on land, water, and food to address climate justice through a nexus approach.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Africa Regional Programme Office, Abuja, in collaboration with the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, convened a two-day Human Rights Training Workshop for church leaders and partners from the Niger Delta. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay will attend the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan 70th General Assembly from 22-24 April. He will also be joining in commemorating the 160th Anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan

In the lead-up to the World Council of Churches (WCC) 6th World Conference on Faith and Order, the Faith and Order Commission—together with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Lutheran World Federation—will host a webinar titled “Bridging East and West: A Joint Statement on Filioque” on 28 April.

The National Council of Churches in Korea, in its 2025 Easter prayer, expresses a vision of the whole world walking in the path of new life.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, in a video message, invites all to support the vision for a common Easter date among Christians from all church traditions. 

In a message for Easter 2025, and on the second anniversary away from Episcopal Anglican Cathedral Khartoum due to the war in Sudan, Most Rev. Ezekiel Kondo, archbishop and bishop of Khartoum, reflected that many are celebrating Easter away from their loved ones. 

Dr Suhaila Tarazi, director of Al Ahli Arab Hospital (Ahli) in Gaza City, shared her reflections during Holy Week—the dire situations facing the patients, what gives her hope, and her Easter message to all people of goodwill across the world.