World Council of Churches

In a letter to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed deep concern that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is facing threats of discontinued financial support. 

From 17-18 February, four master’s students from the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute at Bossey participated in a series of preparatory sessions ahead of their internships across various WCC departments.

A Palestinian delegation visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 18 February to participate in deep dialogues on justice, peace, and the dignity of all people. 

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay shared a goodwill message at the Centennial Convention of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria, which will be held 19–23 February.

Patriarch Theophilos III, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and All of Palestine and Jordan, has said it is feared that the ancient Christian community in Gaza “has now dwindled to under 600 people”.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) joined global leaders, economists, and faith-based organizations at the High-Level Dialogue on Tax Justice and Solidarity convened by the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences to call for urgent reforms in the global tax system.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) had key participation in a meeting of the leadership of the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD), which took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 4-6 February 2025. 

The World Council of Churches and the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva invite media to attend a special screening of the documentary: "Via Dolorosa: The Path of Sorrows", followed by a panel featuring church leaders and experts.

In a statement released 14 February, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem issued a humanitarian plea for Gaza.

A webinar on 13 February brought together people from different traditions to reflect on how a shared celebration of Easter can unite Christians worldwide in their common faith in the resurrected Christ.

Following is an adapted version of an interview by Vatican media with World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay.

Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay addressed over 100,000 people attending Asia’s largest Christian gathering on 9 February.

As significant religious observances approach in Jerusalem, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has been sharing a video detailing violations of freedom of worship and the urgent need to safeguard the city as a shared sacred space.

A conference from 17-21 May in Berlin will invite global ecumenists to intentionally engage the outcomes of the Berlin conference in 1884-85, develop a response to the historic and continuing legacies of colonization, and collectively re-envision a de-colonial Africa in a concrete “Anti-Racist Ecumenical Action Plan for Decolonization and Reparations.”

Celia served with the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel from September-December 2024. She was stationed in East Jerusalem. Now that she has returned home to Denmark, she works in an agency under the Ministry of Immigration and Integration. She is also sharing her stories of what she witnessed as an ecumenical accompanier. 

In a short video message, Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the World Council of Churches central committee, reflects on the Thursdays in Black Valentine’s Day theme for 2025: “Spread love, choose kindness.”

The Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) is coordinating a Regional Women’s Convening from 10 to 13 February in Lautokoa, Fiji. More than 50 women from 30 member churches, 10 national councils, and 18 countries and territories in the region, including Australia and New Zealand, are attending.

For churches in Sweden, the year 2025 is already marked by renewed interest in ecumenism and the encounter with one another across church traditions. 

As part of his visit to India from 8 to 14 February, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay visited diaconal and educational work of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church and led two Bible study sessions at the Maramon Convention.

As the world edges closer to exceeding the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold set in the Paris Agreement, members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development gathered in Panama City for a training on climate litigation for churches.