World Council of Churches

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is celebrating the life and mourning the loss of Gwendoline Cashmore, who passed away on 2 April at the age of 95.

Churches in Haiti are communicating with hearts overwhelmed by the growing suffering of their people, according to Rev. Eliner Cadet, president of the National Coalition of Haitian Pastors. 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee will convene 12-16 May via video conference to conduct the regular business of the first half of the year. The executive committee will also review preparations for the WCC central committee meeting, which will convene 18-24 June in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended greetings to Buddhist communities and friends around the world for the Buddhist feast of Vesak.

In a letter to Pope Leo XIV, World Council of Churches  (WCC) moderator of the central committee Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm and WCC  general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay extended heartfelt greetings and congratulations.

People in Ukraine observed their fourth Easter since the Russian invasion of their nation. Oleksandra Kovalenko, a member of the Ukrainian delegation at the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, and Valentyn Hrebennyk, a graduate of the WCC Ecumenical Institute at Bossey shares their Easter experience and encourages the WCC fellowship to continue praying for people of Ukraine.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing is planning online “listening sessions” on the role of faith communities in the realignment of public health and access to universal care.

Commemorating the 140th anniversary of the 1884–1885 Berlin Conference that legitimized the colonial partitioning of Africa, this global event will confront the ongoing legacies of colonialism and systemic racism. At a time of growing polarization, the conference aims to offer an ecumenical and ethical framework of justice and solidarity.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) extended ecumenical greetings to Pope Leo XIV and an assurance of continuing engagement with the Roman Catholic Church in the era of its new pontiff.

A “Life and Work” centenary conference will be held 18-20 May in Athens to seek a fresh commitment to seeking unity of the church and of all humanity.

Leaders of specialized ministries that collaborate with the World Council of Chruches (WCC) gathered online on 7 May with the WCC general secretary and members of his staff. The bi-annual meeting is an important step in shaping the vision and priorities of the WCC.

As drone bombs strike Port Sudan, Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo, primate of the Episcopal (Anglican) Church of Sudan, expressed concern at the attacks, fearing this would further escalate the two-year war in the northeastern African country.

As food supplies run out in Gaza, hunger is taking lives—and endangering many more. Since 2 March, when Israeli armed forces closed all entry points for humanitarian aid into Gaza, no food, no drinking water, no medicine, or any other essential supplies have entered the territory.

In a joint statement, the World Council of Churches, All Africa Conference of Churches, Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa, and ACT Alliance expressed deep concern and strong condemnation of the violent escalation of hostilities in Sudan, specifically the recent attacks on the city of Port Sudan by the Rapid Support Forces.

Video commemorates “walking, working, and praying with Pope Francis”

140 years after the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, one of the most consequential geopolitical gatherings in modern history, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and ecumenical partners

An interview with Dr Humberto Shikiya, World Council of Churches senior advisor for peace-building in Colombia.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, in light of the recent escalation of violence following India’s military strikes on Pakistan, urged both nations to exercise restraint and to prioritize peace over further escalation.

Rev. Dr Henriette Hutabarat Lebang, pastor of Toraja Church in Indonesia, is general chairperson of Indonesia Bible Society and World Council of Churches president from Asia. 

A delegation of alumni from the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel visited Washington, DC, to amplify the voices of those affected by escalating human rights violations in Jerusalem and across Palestine.