WCC NEWS: Message of Bossey graduates: “work together to pursue health and wholeness for all”

Graduates of the 2023 Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey sent a message to the world as they completed their academic pursuits and prepared to return to their diverse homes and faith traditions Graduates of the 2023 Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. Photo:Gloria Koymans 11 August 2023 “Those who come after us should enjoy the peace, fellowship, and wholeness of life that we enjoy today,” reads the message from students of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions. “We join together in offering an invitation towards reflection and repentance, and further invite others to join us in renewing our efforts towards healing between our communities, towards facilitating wholeness of life for the most vulnerable, and towards living in such a way that the natural world is sustained for future generations.” The message notes that human beings were made together with an aspiration towards complete health and wholeness of life. “This means not only mental and physical health, but also a state of spiritual, economic, political, and social wellbeing,” reads the message. “We further recognise that the meaning of health and wholeness of life may be differ between people.” At the same time, suffering is part of the human condition, the message acknowledges. “Particular attention should be drawn towards the historical and present treatment of the ill and people with disabilities,” reads the message. “Every human being, irrespective of their physical and mental health, possesses the fullness of human dignity and is of absolute moral worth.” Despite this, the message notes, illness has been conflated with sin, and the students “lovingly call on all nations, faith groups, and international actors to work together to pursue health and wholeness for all.” Graduates of the 2023 Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies visited the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday, 8th 2023. Photo:Gloria Koymans Specifically, the graduates call for all UN Member States to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. “We encourage faith traditions and faith leaders to reflect upon theologies in which moral character has been tied to sickness or health status and to work towards new theological understandings of the nature of health and its absence,” reads the message. “Faith communities should be advocates for accessible healthcare throughout the world, for access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, and for an approach to healthcare that emphasises the needs of the impoverished and marginalised.” Message from the students of the 2023 CAS in Interreligious Studies Interreligious summer course opens in Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, where students will explore health and wholeness The Ecumenical Institute Bossey Apply for the academic year 2024-2025! Tour the Bossey Ecumenical Institute online—with 360-degree views Photo Gallery 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 general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. 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