The World Council of Churches (WCC) has joined global faith leaders in signing a joint letter calling on G20 finance ministers to take decisive action on the escalating global debt crisis. Released ahead of the G20 Finance Ministers' Meeting, the letter—co-signed by WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay—warns of the devastating consequences of unsustainable debt on vulnerable populations. Nearly half the world’s population lives in countries where debt payments exceed spending on health, education, and climate resilience.
At the recent United Nations Social Forum, the World Council of Churches (WCC) led global calls for a renewed economic system that prioritizes human rights and environmental sustainability. Held from 31 October to 1 November at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, the forum brought together representatives from governments, civil society, and academe to discuss the impact of finance on development and human rights.
“As Brazil celebrates 200 years of Protestant presence, it is essential to reflect on the relationship between faith and daily life,” says Dr Lauri Emilio Wirth, a Lutheran researcher who has recently presented an article that explores the roots and social impact of Protestantism in Brazil, highlighting how it developed within a context of immigration, cultural resistance, and socioeconomic challenges.
An extension of the ceasefire between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP was announced on 15 October, a milestone occurring one year since the Peace Dialogue Table—of which the World Council of Churches (WCC) is a permanent accompanier—was established.
On 20 September, the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Water Network hosted a special dialogue with UN specialrapporteur for Human Right to Water Prof. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) participated in the sixth Annual Meeting of the Ecumenical and Francophone Society of Theology of Ecology (SOFTE) held at the Saint Hugues Spiritual Center in Biviers, France, from 2-5 July. Dr Louk Andrianos, WCC consultant on care for creation, sustainability, and climate justice, contributed virtually with a reflection on biodiversity, spirituality, and the need to redirect human greed towards oikocentrism.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) cosponsored with Laudato Si Research Institute and the World Communion of Reformed Churches, Lutheran World Federation, Anglican Communion, and World Methodist Council an international seminar on “The Feast of Creation and the Mystery of Creation: Ecumenism, Theology, Liturgy, and Signs of the Times in Dialogue,” from 14-16 March at Laudato Si’ Center of Assisi and Pro Civitate Christiana, in Italy.
Zacchaeus Tax (ZacTax) is an ecumenical campaign by churches, seeking a transformed global tax system that acts like the biblical character Zacchaeus, delivering equity and making reparation for historic and structural injustice.
As three World Council of Churches commissions—the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, Commission on Health and Healing, and Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development—completed their meeting on 8 March in Geneva, they came away with a sense of collaborative determination to address the world’s challenges with hope and with practical actions.
Jackline Makena Mutuma is a clergy with the Methodist Church in Kenya and a student at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, where her current research is related to the intersection of modern-day slavery and global warming. She was also recently elected as one of the vice moderators of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order. In a WCC interview, she reflects on the urgent issue of preventing modern slavery.
Speaking before religious leaders, pastors, and students in Indonesia, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected on “The Kingdom of God and the Role of the Pastor Today.”
As the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting commenced in Davos beginning 15 January, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay urged the gathering to renew its commitment to multilateral cooperation for the longer-term good of all people.
The forum is convening under the theme “Rebuilding Trust.”
As the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting commenced in Davos beginning 15 January, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay urged the gathering to renew its commitment to multilateral cooperation for the longer-term good of all people.
Rev. Serge Fornerod is a former World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee, a member of the Green Village steering committee, and the new president of the FAP Foundation for Reformed Churches. He recently published a book, “Les Fornerod, une famille au service de l’Église” that details the intersection of his personal faith and professional life[1].
Though COP28 failed to produce a credible plan to phase out fossil fuels, there is still reason for hope that the world can move toward climate justice, said World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay as COP28 concluded.
Address of the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay at the All Africa Conference of Churches 12th General Assembly, "Christ`s Love Compels Us to Justice, Reconciliation and Unity".
