WCC NEWS: WCC acting general secretary: “We are bound to each other in universal kinship through God”

During a multilateral dialogue on Fratelli tutti, World Council of Churches (WCC) acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca spoke on “Fraternity, Interreligious Dialogue and Social Justice.” He joined religious leaders as well as representatives from the UN, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, and International Red Cross on 15 April for the online event. He spoke on a panel with representatives from the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Royal Institute of Interfaith Studies, and Latin American Rabbinical Seminary of the Conservative Movement in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC   19 April 2021 “Human fraternity in its broadest and inclusive sense is the recognition that we are bound to each other in universal kinship through God, the source of our being and wellbeing,” Sauca said. “The WCC considers interreligious dialogue as ‘a means of living out our faith in Christ in service of community with our neighbours’ as one of our earliest documents affirmed.” From its inception 50 years ago, the WCC’s engagement in interreligious dialogue has been rooted in the concrete pursuit of justice and peace, Sauca noted. “It is for us a call to a costly discipleship, where we are present at the bleeding points of a broken humanity and are attentive to the groaning of the entire creation,” he said. “Therefore, our interreligious engagement has consistently addressed issues of justice and peace in a spirit of honesty and hope.” Sauca said he sees a strong resonance of the same spirit in Fratelli Tutti. “Attentiveness to the wounds of the world is key to social justice and human fraternity,” he said. “Even as we build on our commonalities, it is also time to compassionately bind the wound of those hurt by injustice and violence, as well as courageously break away from the mistakes of the past which have contributed to much hatred and damage.” See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland