The international conference “Berlin 1884–1885 and Anti-Black Racism: In Search of a Shared Anti-Racist Ecumenical Vision” opened on 18 May, Berlin, Germany, Photo: Anna Rozkosny/Bread for the World
Dr Vassilios Meichanetsidis, representing Apostoli, the nongovernmental arm of the Church of Greece, H.E. Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia and Philadelphia, Prof. Marina Kolovopoulou, a member of the WCC executive committee and Bishop Ignatios of Salona, offered presentation on the Church of Greece at the CCIA Life and Work consultation in Athens, Greece, on 21 May 2025.
A message from the Life and Work conference held in Athens made strong connections to the gathering’s historic counterpart in Stockholm in 1925 and, even further back, to the first Ecumenical Council in Nicaea 1700 years ago.
A “Life and Work” centenary conference opened on 18 May in Athens, with participants seeking a fresh commitment to unity of the church and of all humanity.
As the international conference “Berlin 1884–1885 and Anti-Black Racism: In Search of a Shared Anti-Racist Ecumenical Vision” opened on 18 May, those gathered in-person and online acknowledged that the deep wounds of colonialism carved 140 years ago are by no means healed.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee convened 12-16 May via video conference to complete regular business of the first half of the year; review preparations for the WCC central committee meeting, which will convene 18-24 June in Johannesburg, South Africa; and issue public statements and minutes about some of the world’s most pressing issues.
In a minute on Myanmar, the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee lifted up the suffering of the people, churches, and faith communities of Myanmar for prayers, solidarity, advocacy, and action.
Two conferences in May—the first in Antalya, Türkiye, and the second in Bucharest, Romania, brought forth the great relevance of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea to contemporary theology.
With an ancient history, deep ties to the ecumenical movement, and extensive social programmes, the Church of Greece is a stalwart institution—as well as this week’s host for the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs meeting.
A webinar on 21 May, “From Occupation to Annexation: Legal perspectives and the implications of current political realities for the occupied population,” examined legal realities in Palestine and Israel—even as the grim situation on the ground are changing by the hour.
As the “Life and Work” centenary conference continued on 20 May in Athens, participants took a deep dip into church history, emerging with challenging questions and topics that will inform their ongoing discussions.
As a “Life and Work” centenary conference in Athens entered its second day, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs traveled back in time to consider the scene in Stockholm in 1925—then took a courageous look forward at the many serious global issues under consideration by churches today.
On the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the 1884–85 Berlin Conference that institutionalized the colonial partitioning of Africa, former World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Konrad Raiser delivered opening remarks at a landmark ecumenical gathering in Berlin.
