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A mural in Nicosia's Buffer Zone shows a girl transforming barbed wire into a heart, symbolizing hope and reunification in the divided capital of Cyprus. The Greek and Cypriot flags fly above, overlooking the UN-patrolled boundary that separates the island.

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Organized by the World Council of Churches Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, which will also hold its 60th meeting from 21-22 May, the conference will address a world of climate catastrophe, war, and economic and social injustice.

In seeking to renew the quest for unity of the churches, the World Council of Churches and the wider ecumenical fellowship find inspiration in two significant anniversaries in 2025: the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325, and the 100th anniversary of the Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work in Stockholm in 1925.

The Life and Work conference in Stockholm 100 years ago brought together wide representation of Christian leaders from Anglican, Protestant, and Orthodox traditions. The conference spoke out for justice, peace, and reconciliation after the carnage of the First World War and gave birth to the Life and Work movement, which united with Faith and Order to form the World Council of Churches in 1948.

Hosted by the Church of Greece, the conference will also be shared online.

H.E. Metropolitan Gabriel of Nea Ionia will offer an opening prayer, followed by greeting from H.B. Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, as well as Greek ministers.

Topics will include building peace in a time of conflict, addressing accelerating economic inequality and social injustice, and the witness of the ecumenical movement to a fragmenting world, and others.

Registration for the Life and Work Centenary conference online

Learn more about the CCIA Life and Work Centenary Consultation in Athens