WCC NEWS: WCC central committee lifts up resources for ecumenical diakonia and other programmes

Encouraging the WCC fellowship in its ongoing call to discipleship together, the WCC central committee commended to WCC member churches the document “Called to Transformation—Ecumenical Diakonia and Addendums.” Prayer in the Chapel of the Ecumenical centre during the WCC Central Committee meeting in June 2018. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 16 February 2022 The central committee, as it heard reports from various WCC programmes, also reaffirmed the importance of good cooperation between churches, ecumenical partners, the ACT Alliance and the WCC in ecumenical diakonia and other areas. WCC leaders also encouraged WCC member churches and ecumenical partners to use the “Ecumenical Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace Towards an Ecumenical Theology of Companionship: A Resource Document” in their own contexts. In addition, the WCC central committee asked the acting general secretary to formulate a proposal for the WCC 11th Assembly on how to continue the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace after the assembly, noting the emerging themes of truth and trauma; land and displacement; gender justice, racial justice; health and healing; climate justice; and decolonizing churches and ecumenical spaces. The governing body approved a proposal for a Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing, and approved the reconfiguration of WCC programmatic work on health. Another resource document was received, “Conversations on the Pilgrim Way: Invitation to Journey Together on Matters of Human Sexuality—A Resource for Reflection and Action.” The governing body also discussed the reports of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs for meetings held in Bali in 2019, Brisbane in 2020, and Johannesburg in 2022. Also among reports received were the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism’s reports of the Arusha Conference in 2018, Helsinki meeting in 2019, and highlights of online meetings during 2020 and 2021. From the WCC Faith and Order Commission, the WCC central committee discussed highlights of the commission’s 2019 meeting in Nanjing, 2019-2021 meetings, and a proposal for a Faith and Order World Conference. The WCC central committee also received and discussed the report of the Commission on Education and Ecumenical Formation meeting held at Bossey in 2019. Finally, the central committee received and discussed the report of the ECHOS Commission meeting held in Seoul in 2019, which was part of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace with the churches on the Korean Peninsula.  The WCC central committee met via videoconference 9-15 February to prepare for the WCC 11th Assembly, address business matters, strengthen the WCC fellowship through sharing, and pray for peace in the world.   Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace Diakonia and ecumenical solidarity WCC central committee meeting 2022 Learn more about the WCC 11th Assembly 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 349 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