WCC news: WCC general secretary will visit Canadian Council of Churches to strengthen ties

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay will visit Canada from 4-9 December, a visit during which he will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Canadian Council of Churches, as well as meet with member churches and ecumenical organizations in Canada. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 29 November 2024 The general secretary will place the Canadian context into the broader global ecumenical movement, the WCC strategic plan, and the journey to unity, reconciliation, and justice. Pillay will explore the unique contributions of Canadian churches. Pillay will also meet with high-level political leaders and others to gain more insight into the Canadian context, as well as the challenges and strengths of how the church in Canada is responding, and how the WCC can journey with them. Pillay will visit the House of Commons, and plans to meet with Hon. Wab Kinew, premier of Manitoba, and Canada's first provincial premier of First Nations descent. In addition, Pillay will focus on interfaith work, meeting with the Manitoba Multifaith Council, and being featured in a panel discussion entitled “Faith in the Public Square.” He will also meet with Indigenous Peoples in Canada, touring the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to receive historical context for residential schools and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. He will also participate in a sharing circle meeting to listen to stories from Indigenous communities.  Pillay will have an informal conversation with young people at Grace Lutheran Church in  Winnipeg, sharing about ecumenism and the work of WCC, and will also have a dialogue with representatives from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. Pillay will preach at the Broadway Disciples United Church.  He will also visit the Canadian Museum for Human Rights as well as the Metropolitan Cathedral. WCC member churches in Canada The Canadian Council of Churches 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 Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland