WCC NEWS: Church of England ordinands visit Bossey, WCC for sense of inspiration and hope

A group of 15 ordinands from the Church of England visited the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, as well as the Ecumenical Centre, from 2-7 November.  Visit Church of England Ordinands  10 November 2025 From their interactions with students, staff, and professors, they reported learning a lot about faith traditions they don’t encounter much in the UK. Anne O’Neil, a student at Ripon College in Cuddesdon, Oxford, said she enjoyed learning about what the World Council of Churches does, and how it works toward unity.  “There is so much that I will take back,” she said. “The first thing I take back is that I feel really inspired and tremendously hopeful. We’re all brothers and sisters in Christ.” Benjamin Phillips, from Cranmer Hall Theological College, wanted to broaden his horizons with the visit. “I’m going to be making people more aware that the World Council of Churches exists, because I don’t think many people know,” he said.  Canon Roger Spiller, who coordinated the trip for the students, was a Bossey student himself in 1972-73, and described it as a life-transforming experience. “Although we have enormous differences in the representation of nationalities and church traditions in Bossey, we can reach an astonishing level of mutual love and support that cuts across all the so-called divisions and the theological differences, and we can prove the legitimacy of the Christian claim that we can be one in Christ, though different.” Anne-Marie Tuck, from Sarum College, said her time at Bossey and at the Ecumenical Centre was emotional, interesting, fascinating, and special.  “I think one of the things I’m taking home is working together with others whose traditions are different than ours,” she said. Visits to the WCC 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