Feature story
“The question of the visible unity of Christians was at the origin of the ecumenical movement, which sought to respond to a major problem of the church’s mission,” H.E. Metropolitan Prof. Dr Job (Getcha), Metropolitan of Pisidia, and vice moderator of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order, said in an address to the five-day conference on its final day, 28 October.
About 400 participants gathered for the conference, organized by the WCC Commission on Faith and Order at the Logos Papal Center of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Wadi El Natrun, southwest of Alexandria, Egypt.
The conference theme – “Where Now for Visible Unity?”– is being addressed from the interrelated perspectives of faith, mission, and unity.
During a morning plenary, the conference focused on the perspective of unity, with contributions by speakers from Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Pentecostal church traditions.
“The division of Christians is an obstacle to the mission: how can we bear witness to Christ in an effective and plausible manner if we present ourselves as divided?” asked Metropolitan Job.
However, churches have already reached many significant agreements that have borne considerable fruit these toward visible unity in recent decades, he noted.
These include the “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” between the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation, which sought to deal with one of the main points at issue between Roman Catholics and Protestants at the time of the 16th century Reformation.
“The methodological novelty of this declaration lies in the recognition that the unity of faith can be carried by a difference of languages, theological forms and particular emphases, and one can therefore speak of a ‘differentiated consensus,’” said Metropolitan Job.
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Prof. Dr Susan Wood (Roman Catholic Church Toronto School of
Theology) speaks during a plenary on 'Unity—Living and Visible?' underway at the World Council of Churches Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order taking place 24-28 October 2025 in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, around the theme “Where now for visible unity?”
Albin Hillert/WCC
Prof. Dr Susan Wood, a Roman Catholic theologian from the Toronto School of Theology, pointed to ecumenical agreement that has been achieved on the meaning of baptism and the bond of unity it establishes, referring to the 1982 WCC convergence text on “Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry.”
Many churches now recognize each other’s baptism even when their members cannot share in the eucharist.
“In baptism, we are joined to Christ and to one another, forming a communion that no division can erase,” Wood continued. “Yet, we know the reality: this unity is wounded by our separations, and the church struggles to show the fullness of her catholicity.”
Baptism offers a starting point, a promise of unity, and a reminder that unity is a gift that is received.
“Our task is to make that gift visible through dialogue, forgiveness, and a spirit of synodality, where all the baptized walk together, listening to the Spirit and to one another,” Wood told conference participants.
“In a world fractured by conflict and isolation, the church’s unity is a sign of hope,” she said.
Rev. Prof. Dr Jacqueline Grey of the Australian Christian Churches, a movement of Pentecostal churches, described the modern-day Pentecostal movement as one of the fastest growing religious movements of the 21st century, but still relatively young, very diverse, and growing predominantly in the Global South.
While there are disagreements that prevent unity and full communion among Christian churches, it is crucial to confront questions about power, authority, and gatekeeping, she said.
“Whose baptism do you recognise? Well, who decides and on what basis?” she asked. “Frequently, the emerging church groups and Christian communions in the Global South do not get a voice in this decision-making. These decisions are already made.”
Despite such obstacles and restrictions, it is important to seek to identify and foster common values amid diversity, Grey said.
“May we join together in actions of visible unity, at the global and grassroots levels,” she said, “to work towards the transformation of our world.”
Livestream video of the plenary session
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II receives WCC delegation (WCC news release, 27 October 2025)
WCC meets with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (WCC news release, 28 October 2025)
Conference livestreams and recordings
Photogallery: Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, 2025
Learn more about the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order
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Rev. Prof. Dr Jacqueline Grey (Australian Christian Churches) speaks during a plenary on 'Unity—Living and Visible?' underway at the World Council of Churches Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order taking place 24-28 October 2025 in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, around the theme “Where now for visible unity?”
Albin Hillert/WCC
