World Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order is set for 24-28 October in Alexandria, Egypt around the theme “Where now for visible unity?”

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay brought joyful greetings to the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement. 

An Armenian Heritage Conference has closed with a statement urging coordinated international action to protect Armenian religious and cultural heritage, the human rights of its people, and the future security of the Armenian nation. The conference was hosted by World Council of Churches (WCC) in collaboration with Protestant Church in Switzerland, in Bern, Switzerland on 27-28 May. 

Armenian Christians are under siege with the destruction of religious, cultural, and historical heritage in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh, and the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Swiss Protestant Churches have pledged to continue fighting for justice in the area.

Leaders of English-speaking churches in Geneva held a prayer vigil on 27 May at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, with money donated going towards supporting the work of Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.

As the international community works toward achieving gender equality by 2030, faith leaders are stepping forward to address one of the most overlooked barriers to women's empowerment: menstrual stigma. A joint webinar on 4 June from 15:00-16:30 CEST will explore how religious communities can lead transformative change in making menstruation a normal fact of life globally.

In conjunction with the 78th World Health Assembly, which met in Geneva under the theme “One World, One Health,” the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing, led “listening sessions” on 22-23 May to  observe and analyse the discussions on global health issues.

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—hosted a webinar titled “Bridging East and West: A Joint Statement on Filioque” on 27 May.

Nordic churches—including the those in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Finland—have released statements calling for restoring the ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, releasing hostages, delivering food and medicine to Gaza, and ending violence against the Palestinian population of the West Bank.

A webinar on 5 June, entitled “Accompaniment, solidarity and joint action for justice and peace,” will be another milestone of the new World Council of Churches (WCC) campaign, “Stop annexation, end the occupation.”

As the world marked International Biodiversity Day on 22 May with the theme "Harmony with Nature and Sustainable Development," religious leaders, Indigenous representatives, and environmental advocates joined forces in a global webinar. The event, organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development Working Group on Biodiversity and Creation Justice in collaboration with the Faiths for Biodiversity Coalition and the Ecumenical Season of Creation team, challenged the dominant worldview driving environmental destruction and proposed faith-based solutions rooted in ecological justice, peace with nature, and respect for all creation.

The latest issue of Current Dialogue, the World Council of Churches (WCC) journal on interreligious relations, focuses on “Reconfiguring Interfaith Work: Lessons from the Field.”

The conference is dedicated to the Human Rights and the consequences of the ongoing conflict in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh in terms of the protection of the Armenian heritage. It is organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in collaboration with the Protestant Church in Switzerland to promote a constructive dialogue on the issues related to the protection of Armenian people and heritage in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh, as well as other such experiences in the world. 

An Armenian Heritage Conference opened in Bern, Switzerland, on 27 May to address the consequences of the conflict in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh with regard to the protection of Armenian religious and cultural heritage, the human rights of its people, and the future security of the Armenian nation. 

How does digitalization contribute to a good society for all? The answer to that question is about much more than advanced technical solutions. According to Rev. Dr. Antje Jackelén, Archbishop Emerita of the Church of Sweden and member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Faith and Order Commission, digitalization requires an interdisciplinary approach where moral and ethical aspects are taken into account, alongside the practical benefits it brings in our everyday lives.

How does digitalization contribute to a good society for all? The answer to that question is about much more than advanced technical solutions. According to Rev. Dr. Antje Jackelén, Archbishop Emerita of the Church of Sweden and member of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Faith and Order Commission, digitalization requires an interdisciplinary approach where moral and ethical aspects are taken into account, alongside the practical benefits it brings in our everyday lives.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee convened 12-16 May via video conference to complete regular business of the first half of the year; review preparations for the WCC central committee meeting, which will convene 18-24 June in Johannesburg, South Africa; and issue public statements and minutes about some of the world’s most pressing issues.

A message from the Life and Work conference held in Athens made strong connections to the gathering’s historic counterpart in Stockholm in 1925 and, even further back, to the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea 1700 years ago.

With an ancient history, deep ties to the ecumenical movement, and extensive social programmes, the Church of Greece is a stalwart institution—as well as this week’s host for the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs meeting. 

In a minute on Myanmar, the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee lifted up the suffering of the people, churches, and faith communities of Myanmar for prayers, solidarity, advocacy, and action.