Relief agencies wait for visas to aid Myanmar

The crisis in Myanmar is continuing to deteriorate as thousands of people remain homeless and relief supplies are slow in coming. Member churches of the World Council of Churches (WCC) are finding it difficult to respond to the crisis despite their willingness to provide funds and personnel. A former staff member living in Myanmar has said the situation continues to worsen.

WCC comment on 60 years of Israel and Palestine

Growing Christian community in Nepal needs strengthened theological education

Firsthand reports on the extraordinary development of Christianity in Nepal and the growing need for improvements in theological education and participation in the ecumenical movement were all part of recent consultation on the future of theological education in South Asia.

Myanmar: Churches to mobilize emergency aid

As the death toll of the tropical cyclone Nargis soars by the hour, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Kobia expressed "great distress and sadness" in a condolence letter to the Myanmar Council of Churches. "The humanitarian aid arm of the WCC and its member churches, Action by Churches Together (ACT) initiated a process to mobilize its members in various countries to extend all possible humanitarian assistance to the...

Iraqi refugees cry out to Christians around the world for solidarity

"Although I had been threatened many times in Iraq, I did not want to leave," says the Armenian Orthodox hairdresser Cayran. "But then my shop was burnt and the car of my husband, who used to work as a driver, was robbed. So we left everything behind and fled to Syria."

WCC congratulates Paraguayan President-elect

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has congratulated President-elect Fernando Lugo on his victory in Paraguay's recent presidential election. In a letter dated 29 April, Kobia highlights Lugo's "commitment to the poorest and excluded", in tune with "the rich tradition of a Latin American Christianity which has struggled to follow Jesus amidst a reality marked by inequality and lack of justice".

Ecumenical observers challenge Zimbabwe election process and demand respect for the will of the people

The 29 March elections in Zimbabwe were "far from being free and fair" and were "skewed in favour of the incumbent who openly utilised state resources to his advantage," two ecumenical bodies said in a recently released report on the election. The Zimbabwean people "expressed their will on polling day" and that will must be "upheld and respected" the report said.

Statement on Zimbabwe by the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches

Concerned about the integrity of elections, the World Council of Churches Central Committee stated recently that, "...in democratic systems, elections serve as a way for people to confer legitimacy on a participatory democratic political system. In order to ensure that an election truly reflects the will of the people, attention should be paid to pre- and post-electoral mechanisms."

Syria sets example for good relations between Christians and Muslims and hospitality to refugees

"Islam cannot be studied like grammar," Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim) of the Greek Orthodox Church in Syria, told a delegation led by Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), who had come to Syria wishing to learn from the country's long experience of Christians and Muslims living peacefully together. "We have to see the real people and share with them. Muslims are sharing with you by living...

WCC delegation met with Syria's Assad

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad emphasized the value of religious diversity in the Middle East in talks with a WCC delegation in Damascus recently, including Syria's historic Christian communities. Assad also said he sees a possible opening for negotiations with Israel. The delegation appreciated Syria's efforts in dealing with a large influx of Iraqi refugees.