World Council of Churches

As the Easter calendar coincides this year for Western and Eastern churches, theologians, clerics, and ordinary Christians in Africa have viewed the occurrence as a boost for efforts towards Christian unity.

The Sisters of St Joseph of Peace, Catholic nuns located in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (US), have spent the past four years filing shareholder resolutions related to Citigroup, urging the parent company of one of the world’s largest investment banks to rethink its financial ties to fossil fuel projects that harm Indigenous communities.

Faith leaders warn that the global concentration of wealth and power has reached "unprecedented" and "alarming" levels, exacerbating inequality, undermining democracy, and accelerating climate catastrophe. The ecumenical call to action came in a joint communique issued today following a three-day meeting in Geneva of the Ecumenical Panel on a New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA).

Yusef Daher, coordinator of the Jerusalem Liaison Office of the World Council of Churches in Jerusalem, earned the Menno Simons Sermon Award for 2025. 

A "Faith and Order Update," presenting some of the main areas of the work of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order, has been published as the WCC looks towards the  Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order later in 2025, and in the year that marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

Each year, this year for the fifth time, Shia Muslim students from the Risalat International Institute (co-located in Iran and in Great Britain), under the direction of Dr M A Shomali, joined the Bossey Ecumenical Institute students for dialogue, prayer, and fellowship.

Exploring how churches can do more for climate justice, the World Council of Churches (WCC), in cooperation with the National Council of Churches in Bangladesh, organized a climate litigation training in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 11 April.

During a visit with churches and communities in Bangladesh, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay met with religious leaders, participated in interfaith dialogues, and expressed solidarity for all those in Bangladesh coping with devastation from climate change. 

At the beginning of the Holy Week of Easter, on 13 April, the celebration of Palm Sunday in the Ukrainian city of Sumy was transformed into a day of lamentation, by yet another Russian missile attack.

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed solidarity with the peace and justice efforts from Bangladesh’s interim government.

As World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay continued his visit in Bangladesh, on 12 April, he visited the National Council of Churches in Bangladesh offices in Dhaka, meeting with the general secretary Rev. David Das and staff members.

On 10 April, the John Templeton Foundation, in collaboration with the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust, announced that the Templeton Prize Laureate for 2025 is His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay condemned in the strongest terms the bombing of the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza—once again targeted, now for the fifth time since the war began. 

Bishop Dr Jonas Jonson, bishop emeritus of the diocese of Strängnäs in the Church of Sweden, and Dr Birgitta Rubenson visited the World Council Churches 8-10 April. 

In its Easter message, the World Council of Churches (WCC) urges Christians to rise up in joy, emphasising a hope that enters the brokenness of the world. 

Professor Karol Hubert Karski, a distinguished evangelical theologian, lecturer, and ecumenical activist, passed away in Warsaw at the age of 84. 

A delegation from the Church of Sweden, let by its general secretary Camilla Asp, visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) from 9-10 April. 

As the World Council of Churches (WCC) debuted its new resource on legal tools for climate justice, the focus was on hope for children—a hope strongly backed by knowledge on how churches can hold financial actors accountable for their role in perpetuating the climate crisis.

Prof. Dr Amélé Ekué is academic dean of the Geneva office of Globethics. She took time to reflect on how the collaboration  between the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Globethics works to create innovative learning environments that are values-driven toward more peaceful communities. She also reflects on the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) 2025, which will take place 12-29 October during the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, near Alexandria, Egypt, under the theme “Where now for visible unity?”

The Feast of Creation initiative represents a profound ecumenical opportunity as Christian churches worldwide consider elevating 1 September from a World Day of Prayer for Creation to a liturgical feast across denominations. A key milestone in this journey will be the upcoming Nicaea Centenary and Creation Day Conference in Assisi in May, where church actors will discuss pathways in this important process. A new WCC podcast explores the vision of the Feast of Creation initiative, highlighting its significance as a potential gesture of Christian unity and ecological commitment.