World Council of Churches

In a letter to the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil and the National Council of Christian Churches, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay shared condolences on the passing of Bishop Flavio Augusto Borges Irala on 9 January. 

As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity takes place from 18-25 January, Br Guido Dotti from the Monastic Community of Bose, Italy, reflects on what it was like to prepare the materials for the largest global prayer gathering. 

During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, staff of the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva joined a Monday morning prayer at the Chapelle des Crêts of the Protestant church of Geneva, reflecting on the theme of the 2025: “Do you believe this?”

During an interfaith service in Memphis, Tennessee, on 20 January at the Healing Cathedral Christian Church, hundreds of people gathered in-person and online to commemorate Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy and to respond to deep injustices plaguing the United States. 

At the 25th anniversary celebration of the Geneva Environment Network, global leaders and advocates gathered to address pressing climate and environmental crises under the theme, “Multilateralism Looking at the Future – Protecting the Environment with Humanity at the Center.”

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay celebrated with families to whom loved ones have been restored in an initial exchanges of hostages and prisoners in Gaza. “We pray that all the remaining hostages and all those unjustly detained will soon be released,” he said. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay has warmly welcomed President Biden’s decision of 14 January to remove Cuba from a list maintained by the U.S. Department of State that designates countries accused of supporting terrorism.

A newly released World Council of Churches (WCC) video addresses the importance of freedom of worship in Jerusalem and for the whole world. 

In a pilgrimage amidst deadly war, Episcopal Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo of Sudan, undertook a pastoral visit to Khartoum, where he witnessed full churches and thriving ecumenism.

Roland Fernandes is general secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries and UMCOR, Higher Education and Ministry. He reflects on cooperative work with the World Council of Churches (WCC), and why ecumenism is so necessary in today’s world. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) welcomed visitors from the Church of Sweden in Germany, Christian Council of Norway, and Norwegian Church Aid in mid-January. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay welcomed the news of a ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas. 

As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity takes place from 18-25 January, churches and Christian communities worldwide are invited to use a variety of resources prepared in seven languages, including a child-friendly version and the reading plan on the YouVersion’s Bible App.

Rev. Prof. Dr Angela Berlis, a member of the World Council of Churches Commission on Faith and Order, has received the Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism. 

In commemorating the 1700th anniversary in 2025 of the Council of Nicaea, a wider view of early Christian history than that often used within western Protestantism can help promote global ecumenical discussion, according to Rev. Prof. Dr Martin Illert, programme executive for Faith and Order at the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel continues to offer a protective presence, and the need is growing given the deteriorating humanitarian situation, as revealed from the incident reports.

Rev. Prof. D. Neal D. Presa is executive presbyter of the Presbytery of San Jose, California, and also a member of the World Council of Churches central and executive committees. He reflected on how people are affected by the ongoing wildfires, how churches are helping, and how God’s love serves as a comfort during times of disaster.

As wildfires destroyed thousands of structures in the Los Angeles area of California (USA), killing 10 people, and causing nearly 200,000 residents to evacuate, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended condolences to affected communities. 

Christmas messages from the World Council of Churches (WCC) member churches and partners across the world are bringing good tidings, deep prayers, light, and hope, even amid the world’s challenges. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC), with the India Peace Centre, has launched an Interfaith Coalition on Land, Water, and Food, the first such initiative in India.