"Was zum Frieden dient: die Welt zu Versöhnung und Einheit bewegen", Erklärung der 11. Vollversammlung des Ökumenischen Rates der Kirchen (ÖRK) in Karlsruhe, Deutschland.
Halfway to the sustainable development goals, the latest UN indicators show a record increase in hunger. The World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization report that 828 million people are hungry, an increase of 46 million from the previous year and an increase of 150 million people since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of people worldwide who cannot afford a healthy diet has increased by 112 million, reaching nearly 3.1 billion by 2020, the report said. Millions of people are at risk of falling into a vicious cycle of malnutrition, ill health, and poverty, exacerbating inequalities already visible to current and future generations.
From 31 August to 8 September, thousands of Christians converged on the German city of Karlsruhe for the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, the first in Europe since Uppsala in 1968.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 resulted in reduced income for the World Council of Churches (WCC) and led to an adaptation in ways of working, the 11th Assembly of the WCC has heard.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) assembly business committee—which conducts the day-to-day business of the assembly—was elected on the first day of the WCC 11th Assembly, 31 August, as were six other assembly committees, including finance, message, nominations, policy reference, programme guidelines, and public issues.
As the World Council of Churches (WCC) Climate Working Group meets this month, the advisory body is looking forward to offering the fruits of its work for reflection and, most important, action at the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe. Below, Rev. Henrik Grape, senior advisor on Care for Creation, Sustainability, and Climate Justice, reflects on climate justice work in the lead-up to the assembly and beyond.
On the anniversary of Juneteenth, remembering the enslavement of African peoples in the United States and their emancipation announced in 1865, leaders from the World Council of Churches (WCC) urged an end to hate speech and to the sin of racism.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has appointed H.E. Metropolitan Nifon of Târgoviște, Romanian Orthodox Church, to serve as vice moderator, fulfilling the service of the late Metropolitan Gennadios.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) and Global Christian Forum, in a signing ceremony, affirmed their unique roles in their mutual quest for Christian unity. The agreement marks an historic milestone in the longtime collaboration between the two organizations.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, convening via videoconference from 30 May to 2 June, continued the work of planning for the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe even while the members mourned the loss of longtime ecumenical luminary Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima.
It is with humble gratitude that I want to express my deep appreciation to the leadership of the central committee for their daily accompaniment and direction. Their leadership during challenging times makes a difference.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee will convene via videoconference from 30 May to 2 June to conduct regular business, and to prepare for the WCC central committee meeting in mid-June as well as the WCC 11th Assembly in August-September 2022.
The world faces a global crisis on food exacerbated and brought to the fore by the war in Ukraine, but humanity can and must take remedial steps in economic and climate justice, a World Council of Churches-led meeting has heard.
A capacity building session on the Statement “Climate Responsible Finance - A Moral Imperative Towards Children”, released on 9 May by the World Council of Churches (WCC), United Nations Environment Programme, Muslim Council of Elders, and NY Board of Rabbis.
