(WCC) World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit condemned an attack at a church in Pakistan that killed at least eight people and injured dozens of others. Tveit expressed sorrow for the lives lost in the suicide bomb and gun attack. The violence targeted Bethel Memorial Methodist Church in the western Pakistani city of Quetta, occurring as some 200 worshippers gathered inside to attend a Sunday midday service. Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the gate of the church, then a second attacker fired upon worshippers, before being killed by security forces at the scene. Tveit urged people to continue to stand united against such violence. “We condemn this tragic disregard for human life at a time when people were gathered to worship as a community. We will not allow this devastating act weaken our faith, our unity, and our common work for peace and justice in the world.” WCC member … [Read more...]

(WCC) In a global campaign “A Light of Peace”, the World Council of Churches (WCC) invites people across the globe to unite in the prayers for the Korean Peninsula and for a world free from nuclear weapons. “The candle of the first week of Advent reminds us of the coming light of Christ”, says one of the prayers. “Together with sisters and brothers in North and South Korea, and people around the world campaigning to abolish nuclear weapons, we are waiting for the days when the nations will no longer be divided and the nations will beat their weapons into ploughshares.” On the first week of Advent, the WCC invites the global Christian fellowship to express solidarity for the Korean people and to support efforts to ease tensions and sustain hope. On the second Sunday in Advent - 10 December - one of WCC’s partners, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons - will receive the Nobel Peace Prize at an award ceremony in Oslo, Norway. By lighting candles during special … [Read more...]

(WCC) On World AIDS Day 2017, the World Council of Churches – Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (WCC-EAA) brought together representatives of faith-based organizations as well as public sector and inter-governmental organizations at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva on 1 December. The event saw a commemorative prayer service, an interactive art exhibition, and a round table discussion on how to improve access to testing and treatment for children and adolescents living with HIV, particularly by means of education. “The World Council of Churches engages in issues of HIV and AIDS through two ecumenical initiatives,” explained WCC deputy general secretary Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri. “But for many of us, we do not just engage in these issues because it is our job, but because of who we are, and where we come from. The challenges of HIV and AIDS are issues that touch and affect us personally.” World AIDS Day 2017 also marked a symbolic end to the WCC’s campaign “Leading by Example: Religious … [Read more...]

(WCC) In a global campaign, the World Council of Churches (WCC) invites people across the globe to extend “A Light of Peace” for the Korean Peninsula and for a world free from nuclear weapons. On the first Sunday in Advent - 3 December - the WCC invites the global Christian fellowship to express solidarity for the Korean people and to support efforts to ease tensions and sustain hope. For more than three decades, the WCC has been engaged in facilitating and accompanying dialogue and encounter between Christians from both North and South Korea. On the second Sunday in Advent - 10 December - one of WCC’s partners, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons - will receive the Nobel Peace Prize at an award ceremony in Oslo, Norway. By lighting candles during special prayers and worship services two Sundays in a row, people in many nations from many faith traditions can unify and amplify voices of peace. Promoting peace and nuclear disarmament on these occasions will … [Read more...]

(WCC) “We have to walk on the land and sail at the sea with care and deep respect for what is given”, said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), as he signed an interfaith statement to be delivered to UN representatives at COP23. Entitled “Walk on Earth Gently”, the COP23 Interfaith Statement will be presented on 10 November, in Bonn, Germany, where the 23rd Conference of Parties (COP23) of the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change is taking place. “God the creator has given us this world as our common home, together with all that is created and living here. To love God and to love our neighbor means that we also love the creation of God”, added Tveit. At COP23, the interfaith statement will be delivered by some 50 faith leaders on bicycles, symbolizing the commitment to sustainable transportation. Organizers aim for a collaborative call to accelerate faith communities to take more ambitious climate actions … [Read more...]