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This gathering will make the first time the commission will convene in Sweden since the World Conference in Lund in 1952. “We look forward to continuing our work on key study processes, building on the affirmations of the Sixth World Conference in Wadi El Natrun in 2025, and deepening our theological reflection—particularly in ecclesiology, moral discernment, and decolonisation,” said Rev. Prof. Dr Stephanie Dietrich, moderator of the commission. “Together with our hosts, the Church of Sweden, and the Nordic churches, we envision meaningful encounters between commissioners from across the global Christian community and theologians, church members, and leaders from the Nordic region.”
The meeting will invite reflections on what it means to be living churches in the Nordic context today, and how global ecumenical dialogue and local experience can mutually inspire, challenge, and enrich churches.
“While preparations are still underway, we also hope to give particular attention to the role of young ecumenists and to ongoing processes of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the Nordic region,” said Dietrich.
The commission has been planning a programme that will include thematic plenaries, aspects of daily spiritual life led by local pastors, joint activities with Lund University, and a Commemoration of the Day of Reformation on 31 October.
Preparatory webinars will be offered as an orientation.
Dr Sigurdur Hafthorsson, theological secretary and ecumenical officer from the Church of Sweden, said that the WCC Faith and Order Commission would be warmly welcomed to Höör in southern Sweden. “We find it both a pleasure and an honour to host the meeting in the Nordic region,” he said. “The region has a long tradition of cooperation and has a solid presence in the commission.”
Hafthorsson added that he hopes the commission’s meeting will be an inspiration for the churches. “It is a good opportunity to learn more about the work of the WCC and the commission, and to strengthen our ties with the worldwide church,” he said.
Dr Andrej Jeftic, director of the WCC Faith and Order Commission, said that the upcoming meeting will help advance the work of the commission by harvesting the outcomes of the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, held in Wadi El Natrun last October.
“At the same time, the location of this meeting carries particular significance,” he said. “The Church of Sweden and the Nordic churches have played a vital role in the life and work of the Faith and Order Commission throughout its history, through sustained support, through the contributions of influential theological voices, and as hosts of some of its most important gatherings.”
The meeting will offer an opportunity to reconnect with these roots and to revisit key milestones in that shared history.
“This meeting is an important ecumenical event, which is about acting together, discerning, reflecting, and engaging in honest conversation,” said Jeftic. “Whenever we do so, we come to recognize that the said deep differences of conviction are often times less profound than they first appear."
Learn more about the 6th World Conference on Faith and Order
Learn more about the work of the Commission on Faith and Order
