WCC NEWS: In spirit of Talanoa, diverse voices urge churches to affirm wholeness of life

During a plenary session held 5 September as part of the ongoing World Council of Churches 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, women, men, youth, Indigenous peoples, and people living with HIV and AIDS challenged ecumenical leaders to counter injustices and affirm wholeness of life. 5 September 2022, Karlsruhe, Germany: Opening dramatic performance by participants in the Ecumenical Youth Gathering (youth pre-assembly), from a diversity of countries and church traditions, during a thematic plenary focused on ’Affirming the Wholeness of Life’, at the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, held in Karlsruhe, Germany from 31 August to 8 September, under the theme "Christ's Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity." Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 05 September 2022 Iemaima Jennifer Vaai, an Indigenous person, spoke at the session, which was modeled after a dialogue practice from Fiji and across the Pacific known as Talanoa. “The whole of life is a process of transformation and changing the story. A story that is ours, not someone else’s, results in being the only story. One that acknowledges a bottom-up approach of striving for justice, that is affordable, sustainable, and resilient.” She continued, “In Samoa, we say ‘e le’o le fale, a’o le anofale,’ meaning it is not the house itself but the spirituality of the home that makes it a household for all. One that creates virtues and ethics to be holistic and transforms our ways to contest against injustice and bring us to affirm the wholeness of life. Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, general secretary of the ACT Alliance, challenged the attendees to debunk the structural causes of economic-social-ecological injustices. “We want an economic model that enables every single person and living being to thrive. We want life-affirming economic policies that recognize and lift the multiple local and, often Indigenous-driven, alternatives as part of our productive fabric,” said de Faria. A total conversion of our hearts, heads, and hands must be the foundation of personal, communal, societal, and institutional change, according to Ruth Mathen, a programme consultant for the Christian Conference of Asia. She believes that repentance from humanity's "failure to obey God" is essential because the world, particularly the Asian region, requires more than half-hearted responses to the world's alarming economic and ecological crises. "How we live must be in accordance with what we believe and how we pray," she said.  5 September 2022, Karlsruhe, Germany: Rev. Tara Tautari, general secretary of the Methodist Church in New Zealand, leads a so-called Talanoa dialogue during a thematic plenary focused on ’Affirming the Wholeness of Life’, at the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, held in Karlsruhe, Germany from 31 August to 8 September, under the theme "Christ's Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity." Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC Dreaming of a world… Jocabed Solano, an Indigenous woman from Panama, shared her dream of a land where all can live fully and abundantly. “I dream of a world where the economy is based on a relationship of respect and harmony towards the land. I dream of a church that plays its role of light in the world and walks in defense of life and harmony.” She went on to express her hopes for “a church that denounces evil and death towards Indigenous peoples. A church that recognizes that the richness of the wealthy comes from extractivism and violence against mother earth and its inhabitants. A church that confesses and repents for its complicity in the tragedy of colonialism that took place yesterday and still takes place today. I dream of the good life where there is enough food for all, with no exception.” Rev. Canon Gideon Byamugisha, an Anglican priest from Africa and co-founder of The International Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Personally Affected by HIV and AIDS, addressed the issue of affirming the wholeness of life concerning humanity and creation from a health perspective. He proposed symbolic wheels that could help drive the entire creation to drive a vehicle of health and peace, security and justice—beginning with personal introspection and repentance for greed and self-centeredness, then moving toward creating spiritual environments, moral economies, and political contexts. He underscored the WCC’s definition of health as “a dynamic state of holistic wellbeing of the individual, society, and the environment.”  The Talanoa-inspired plenary created an opportunity for open discussion that reflects a process of inclusivity, participation, and cooperation, encouraging everyone to join the "dance of life" as inspired by the Oikoumene Pasifika, a cultural ensemble that provided interludes through music and movement during the session. Photos from the thematic plenary "Affirming the Wholeness of Life" #WCC assembly - Thematic Plenary 3 video Livestream of the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany Photos of the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany 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 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 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