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God, faith and church life under question in a time of a pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the political, economic and social life of a troubled world, already suffering by the financial crisis and imposed neoliberal austerity measures. With this current crisis, a strange unity has risen; a unity in fear of illness and death, anxious uncertainty for the future and collective mourning for the tens of thousands of deaths.

New online collection of ecumenical statements on bioethics and biotechnology

A new online collection of church and ecumenical statements on bioethics and biotechnology has been launched by the global ethics network Globethics.net, developed in collaboration with the World Council of Churches. The collection contains more than 250 documents from ecumenical organizations, and Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions.

WCC and new and emerging technologies

The author of this e-book, Dr Gregor Wolbring is a member of CAC/ISO - Canadian Advisory Committees for the International Organization for Standardization, section TC229 Nanotechnologies; a former member of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO; a Disabled People's International Bioethics Taskforce Chair; a biochemist, health researcher, and a researcher on ethics, sociology and governance of emerging technology researcher, and disability/ability studies. This e-book is not an official WCC publication but a discussion paper.

WCC Programmes

Aide Memoire from the Global Consultation on Genetics, New Biotechnologies and the Ministry of the Church

Aide Memoire summarizing the discussions at a 2-5 December Global Consultation on Genetics and New Biotechnologies held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Participants stated that "the creativity of science needs to serve the common good" and alerted about the risk of biotechnology leading to "increased dependency and threat to biodiversity". "Communities can be devastated by the intrusion of genetically modified seeds and bio-piracy", participants said. They recognized the "need for dialogue with scientists", so as to move "beyond a reactive mode", and called for the "restoration of the churches' prophetic voices and public witness in the growing debate regarding the ethical use of genetics and biotechnologies".

WCC Programmes