World Council of Churches

At the beginning of the Holy Week of Easter, on 13 April, the celebration of Palm Sunday in the Ukrainian city of Sumy was transformed into a day of lamentation, by yet another Russian missile attack.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed solidarity with the peace and justice efforts from Bangladesh’s interim government.

As World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay continued his visit in Bangladesh, on 12 April, he visited the National Council of Churches in Bangladesh offices in Dhaka, meeting with the general secretary Rev. David Das and staff members.

On 10 April, the John Templeton Foundation, in collaboration with the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust, announced that the Templeton Prize Laureate for 2025 is His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay condemned in the strongest terms the bombing of the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza—once again targeted, now for the fifth time since the war began. 

Bishop Dr Jonas Jonson, bishop emeritus of the diocese of Strängnäs in the Church of Sweden, and Dr Birgitta Rubenson visited the World Council Churches 8-10 April. 

In its Easter message, the World Council of Churches (WCC) urges Christians to rise up in joy, emphasising a hope that enters the brokenness of the world. 

Professor Karol Hubert Karski, a distinguished evangelical theologian, lecturer, and ecumenical activist, passed away in Warsaw at the age of 84. 

A delegation from the Church of Sweden, let by its general secretary Camilla Asp, visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) from 9-10 April. 

As the World Council of Churches (WCC) debuted its new resource on legal tools for climate justice, the focus was on hope for children—a hope strongly backed by knowledge on how churches can hold financial actors accountable for their role in perpetuating the climate crisis.

Prof. Dr Amélé Ekué is academic dean of the Geneva office of Globethics. She took time to reflect on how the collaboration  between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Globethics works to create innovative learning environments that are values-driven toward more peaceful communities. She also reflects on the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) 2025, which will take place 12-29 October during the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, near Alexandria, Egypt, under the theme “Where now for visible unity?”

The Feast of Creation initiative represents a profound ecumenical opportunity as Christian churches worldwide consider elevating 1 September from a World Day of Prayer for Creation to a liturgical feast across denominations. A key milestone in this journey will be the upcoming Nicaea Centenary and Creation Day Conference in Assisi in May, where church actors will discuss pathways in this important process. A new WCC podcast explores the vision of the Feast of Creation initiative, highlighting its significance as a potential gesture of Christian unity and ecological commitment. 

On the 80th anniversary of the execution of Dietrich Bonhoeffer for his opposition to Hitler, the moderator of World Council of Churches has paid tribute to the deep faith of the German theologian, saying his life and witness continue to inspire the ecumenical movement.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay will visit Bangladesh from 10-14 April for meetings with churches, interfaith leaders, and faith-based organisations. He will also have a dialogue with theological teachers and students. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) morning prayer focused on World Health Day, observed on 7 April under the theme “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures.”

The National Council of Churches in Korea released a statement on the historic ruling of impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Rev. Dr Joan Brown Campbell, at the age of 93, passed on 29 March.

As nearly 500 people gathered in-person and online for the 11th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in International Affairs, they spoke of “finding the sun”—a symbol of a future that is both possible and profoundly just—together. 

The World Council of Churches has published a Faith and Order paper, “Towards a Common Date for Easter” as an encouragement to churches and Christians to work with one another in their own contexts for a common celebration of Easter.

Archbishop Ioannis of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania, the newly elected primate of the Orthodox Church of Albania, was enthroned on 29 March in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tirana.