WCC news: WCC central committee moderator: “we are called to be witnesses of Christ and his radical love"

In a report before the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee, Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the WCC central committee, reflected on the urgent need for peace, the hope found in a common Easter, and the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and others whose lives still inspire and uphold the ecumenical movement.  Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 12 May 2025 A lot has happened since we met last time in Cyprus,” said Bedford-Strohm to the governing body. “We were witnesses of so many Good Friday experiences in the months since then.” Bedford-Strohm noted that empirical evidence so often seems to speak against keeping hope. “We desperately need backwind for our hope from other sources. We need the backwind of Easter,” he said. “Celebrating Easter on the same date this year in all our churches was a big theme in the media that I could follow.” Bedford-Strohm also mourned the loss and celebrated the lives of Archbishop Anastasios of Albania, who died in January, and Pope Francis, who passed away in April.  “Let me finally also draw on someone who died long time ago,” Bedford-Strohm said. “On 9 April we held a touching prayer service in the former concentration camp of Flossenbürg on the place and at the time where Dietrich Bonhoeffer was murdered by the Nazis exactly 80 years before.” It is well-known how committed Bonhoeffer was to the ecumenical movement. “What is less well-known is how outspoken Bonhoeffer was in the theme of social justice,” said Bedford-Strohm. “His sermons in particular reveal how deeply Bonhoeffer was moved by the question of social justice.” Bedford-Strohm concluded by observing that we do not walk alone but are accompanied by a cloud of witnesses  who give us the backwind we need. “So, we can be what we are called to be: witnesses of Christ and his radical love which moves the world to reconciliation and unity,” he said. The WCC executive committee is convening 12-16 May via video conference. Read the full report In a challenging world, WCC general secretary calls for unity and strength among churches (WCC news release, 12 May 2025) WCC executive committee to convene with vision for future (WCC news release, 12 May 2025) 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