WCC NEWS: WCC Commission on Faith and Order to convene in Wadi El Natrun

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order will convene in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, on 23 October, one day before the opening of the historic Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order. 21 October 2025, Wadi El Natrun, Egypt: Rev. Prof. Dr Stephanie Dietrich, moderator of the Commission on Faith and Order of the WCC (left) and Prof. Dr Andrej Jeftić, the director of the Faith and Order Commission (right) pictured at the Logos Papal Center, venue of the World Council of Churches Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order taking place 24-28 October 2025 in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, around the theme “Where now for visible unity?” Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 21 October 2025 The commission will review preparations for the conference, share insights from the work of respective study groups, and look ahead to the post-conference period.  The gathering marks the commission’s first in-person meeting since Tondano, Indonesia in February 2024. Since then, the commission has continued its work through online study group activities and through an online meeting in September 2025.  During the day-long meeting, the commission will strengthen fellowship in prayer and conversation, bring together the fruits of study group work, and consider how the outcomes of the conference will be carried forward. Among other outcomes, the meeting will deliver a clear roadmap for each study group’s role in the world conference.  Rev. Prof. Dr Stephanie Dietrich, moderator of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order, reflected that marking the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea will recall the church’s shared confession and common history as the body of Christ.  “In a world marked by fracture, we renew the ecumenical commitment to visible unity as a sign of God’s reconciling mission,” she said. “With Christ’s own prayer that ‘all may be one,’ we invoke the Holy Spirit to guide and sustain our discernment and deliberations.” Dr Andrej Jeftić, director of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order, noted that the commission is gathering not only to finalize preparations for the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order but also to discern how will the vision that will arise from the conference guide the commission’s work in the years ahead.  “The Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order is a unique moment in the life of the ecumenical movement, bringing together church leaders, theologians, and young people from every region of the world to reflect on the meaning and pathways for our unity in Christ today,” he said. “We are deeply grateful to the hosting churches, and especially to the Coptic Orthodox Church, for the remarkable hospitality and close collaboration in making this event possible.” The Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order in Egypt Learn more about the WCC's Faith and Order Commission Photos: Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order – 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 356 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