WCC NEWS: Reclaiming the anti-racist vision: Konrad Raiser opens WCC conference in Berlin

On the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the 1884–85 Berlin Conference that institutionalized the colonial partitioning of Africa, former World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Konrad Raiser delivered opening remarks at a landmark ecumenical gathering in Berlin.  Former World Council of Churches general secretary Konrad Raiser delivering opening remarks at the international conference “Berlin 1884–1885 and Anti-Black Racism: In Search of a Shared Anti-Racist Ecumenical Vision”, 18 May, Berlin, Germany, Photo: Anna Rozkosny/Bread for the World 19 May 2025 Speaking on behalf of the WCC leadership—absent due to the enthronement of Pope Leo XIV in Rome—Raiser emphasized the importance of reaffirming and strengthening the ecumenical commitment to anti-racism. Raiser began by grounding the conference’s purpose in the longstanding struggle of the ecumenical movement against racism and racial discrimination. Long before the formal founding of the WCC, Christian leaders were grappling with the theological and ethical implications of racial injustice. The WCC’s establishment of the Programme to Combat Racism in 1969 marked a watershed moment, catalyzed by the civil rights movement in the United States and the anti-colonial liberation struggles across Africa. The Programme to Combat Racism gave urgent priority to confronting white, anti-Black racism and placed the issue firmly at the heart of the global ecumenical agenda for over a decade. Berlin Conference 2025 - Dr Konrad Raiser, former WCC general secretary By the 1980s, the WCC broadened its anti-racism mandate to include marginalized communities such as Indigenous peoples, Dalits, and women. This inclusive approach was crystallized during the 1990 World Convocation in Seoul, where churches committed themselves to eradicating not only individual prejudice but also the economic, political, and social structures that perpetuate racism. The collapse of apartheid in South Africa and the end of colonial rule in countries like Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Angola brought fresh momentum to the ecumenical resolve. The focus shifted toward supporting the reconstruction of Africa and healing the wounds inflicted by centuries of oppression. The 2001 United Nations World Conference Against Racism in Durban further amplified global demands for reparations, justice, and historical reckoning. In its wake, the WCC’s 2002 statement, “Being Church and Overcoming Racism: It’s Time for Transformative Justice,” reaffirmed the urgency of sustained, systemic change. Yet Raiser acknowledged that in the past two decades, attention within the ecumenical movement drifted toward other global concerns, such as economic injustice and violence. He argued that the time is now ripe to revisit the issue of racism with fresh urgency—particularly as 2025 also marks the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea and the 100th anniversary of the Stockholm Conference on Life and Work. By convening in Berlin—a city symbolic of colonial decision-making—the conference seeks not only to engage in critical remembering but also to catalyze a renewed commitment to dismantling the enduring legacies of racism. Raiser highlighted the potential of this conference to reimagine an ecumenical future in which anti-racism becomes a normative, actionable commitment. Co-hosted by key German church partners, the event is an opportunity for churches to own this history and model bold witness against racism, xenophobia, and nationalist populism in a time of global migration. “May God bless your work together during these days here in Berlin,” Raiser concluded, calling on participants to be courageous in forging a just and reconciled future.   "Berlin conference opens with pledges to take responsibility for colonialism—a crime with deep wounds", (WCC news release, 18 May 2025)   Photo gallery of the "Berlin 2025" conference   REGISTER here and join the conference live   Annotated agenda of the conference   "Final call to join: A transformative WCC ecumenical conference on racism, colonialism, and faith in Berlin", (WCC news release, 15 May 2025)   Learn more about the WCC work on overcoming Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia   WCC offers new anti-racist and anti-bias material for churches and communities   Nicaea 2025   Life and Work conference opens with call for “no discrimination in love among fellow human beings”, (WCC news release, 19 May 2025) Conference participants during the "Streams" discussions, international conference “Berlin 1884–1885 and Anti-Black Racism: In Search of a Shared Anti-Racist Ecumenical Vision”, 18 May, Berlin, Germany, Photo: Anna Rozkosny/Bread for the World 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