World Council of Churches

Erik Svanberg and Maria Bäcklund, through the Christian Council of Sweden, have served as national coordinators with the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel. They both are losing their jobs, as the programme has been paused because of changes by the Swedish government in funding priorities. Svanberg and Bäcklund reflected on the life-changing aspects of their work, and their wish that the programme will continue.

Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace, reflected on “Prophetic Diakonia and Vulnerability in the 21st Century” during a conference hosted by the International Society for the Research and Study of Diaconia and Christian Social Practice, being held in South Africa 1-4 April. 

At the 6th Meeting of the Ecumenical Panel on a New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA) held in Geneva from 25-27 March, faith leaders and experts united to call for a radical reformation of economic systems that prioritize justice, sustainability, and the needs of the most vulnerable.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) invites media representatives to the opening event of “Hope for Children Through Climate Justice,” a new resource that provides legal tools designed to hold financial actors accountable for their role in perpetuating the climate crisis.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Permanent Committee on Consensus and Collaboration (PCCC) convened online on 1 April under the leadership of co-moderators H.E. Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon and Bishop Sally Dyck. 

Finnish churches are commemorating the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in unique ways. 

In a letter to His Honour Justice Moon Hyung-bae, acting president of the Constitutional Court of Korea, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reiterated the WCC’s advocacy for the rule of law as a key constraint on abuses of political or economic power.

Appearing on BBC One’s “Sunday Morning Live” TV show on 30 March, World Council of Churches senior programme lead for Children and Climate Frederique Seidel highlighted the WCC’s new resource, “Hope for Children Through Climate Justice: Legal Tools to Hold Financiers Accountable.” 

Rev. Detlev Knoche recently retired as director of the Ecumenical Centre of the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau and of the Evangelical Church of Kurhessen-Waldeck. He took time to reflect on his inspirations, people along the way, and the importance of journeying together. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended condolences to His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, upon the passing of His Eminence Metropolitan Pakhomious, Metropolitan of Beheira, Matrouh, and the Five Western Cities, and Abbot of St. Macarius of Alexandria Monastery in Mount Al-Qalali.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended greetings to all Muslims across the world on the joyous occasion of the Eid al Fitr. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended condolences to those who lost loved ones and invited prayer and support for the people of Myanmar and Thailand in the wake of a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar, with aftershocks in Thailand, on 28 March.  

Lutheran Bishop Medardo Gómez from El Salvador passed away on 27 March at the age of 80.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing held its fourth meeting, mapping its future in what its leaders defined as “a new world order.”

The Kingdom of Bahrain hosted an Intra-Islamic Dialogue Conference under the patronage of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The event, with over 400 participants, aimed to foster unity and consensus within the Islamic world in response to contemporary challenges.

The Second Africa-Europe Ecumenical Forum on Migration was held 17-21 March in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, organized by the All Africa Conference of Churches and the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME). 

Prof. Rastko Jovic, from Serbia, reflects in a WCC video interview about the World Council of Churches (WCC) Just Community of Women and Men programme—and how using theology to underscore justice will inspire churches globally. 

Katie Reimer, executive director of the World Day of Prayer International Committee, visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 25-26 March to learn more about WCC Communications, library and archives, Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, and the Just Community of Women and Men programme. 

Rev. Peter Adewale Adenekan, from Nigeria, is a master's student at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. He is focusing his research on the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development. He reflects on what led him on this unique scholarly path, and his hopes for change. 

Speaking before the German network ProOikoumene on 26 March, Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, World Council of Churches programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace, delivered a lecture entitled "Prophetic Theology, Prophetic Church – in Times of Multiple Crises.”