“During these days together in Athens, our meeting has taken place against the background of increasingly desperate news of the appalling violence and suffering inflicted on the people of Gaza by the government and military of Israel in flagrant violation of international law and morality, accompanied by attacks on southern Lebanon in violation of its national sovereignty, and by threats of full-scale ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population of Gaza,” reads the message. “We recalled also the ongoing illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, the terrible unconstrained civil war in Sudan, the brutal military dictatorship in Myanmar, the ongoing occupation of northern Cyprus as well as of the Palestinian territories, the emptying of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh of its Indigenous ethnic Armenian inhabitants, the proliferation of conflicts and conflict-risks elsewhere, and increased militarization in many contexts, as well as the global displacement crisis, spiralling economic inequality, and the accelerating climate crisis.” The message also noted that those gathered saw demonstrations in the streets of Athens commemorating the 1915 genocides of Greeks, Syriacs, and Armenians, reminding them of the persistence of human cruelty, violence, and greed. The conference message recognizes the Life and Work conference in Stockholm as the foundation stone upon which the ecumenical Life and Work movement – and the World Council of Churches Commission of the Churches on International affairs itself – was established. “This centenary occasion is a salutary opportunity to reflect on this pivotal movement in ecumenical history and on the rich heritage of ecumenical social ethics and action,” the message reads. “Participants in the Stockholm Conference saw hope in the development of international law and international institutions to mitigate and resolve such challenges.” However, the message notes, the United Nations – and the commitment to international cooperation, respect for international law, and trust between nations and communities – now face a major crisis. “In such a context, we propose to reclaim, rehabilitate and re-assert the concept of the ‘Welfare State,’ in its origins a theological concept, seeking to define the nature of the responsibility of the State towards all of its citizens,” reads the message. “The witness of the ecumenical movement for unity amidst division is once again an urgent calling in a world that is on an accelerating trajectory of fragmentation, confrontation and conflict, and away from justice, solidarity, and peace, one hundred years after the Stockholm Conference.” Read the Message of the CCIA Life and Work Centenary Consultation in Athens A dip into church history: from Nicaea, to Stockholm, to today’s challenging world (WCC news release, 21 May 2025) WCC international affairs conference: “The time for God’s peace is now” (WCC news release, 20 May 2025) Life and Work conference opens with call for “no discrimination in love among fellow human beings” (WCC news release, 19 May 2025) Photo gallery: CCIA Life and Work Centenary Consultation Video recordings of the CCIA Life and Work conference in Athens | 
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