WCC interview - Rev. Prof. Dr Benjamin Simon: "WCC needed now more than ever

Rev. Prof. Dr Benjamin Simon, former dean of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, now serves as the director of DM (Dynamique dans l´ Echange), the Mission Board of the Reformed Swiss Churches in French-speaking Switzerland, as well as current chair of intercultural theology at University of Lausanne. He took time to reflect on his new roles, and why the World Council of Churches (WCC) is needed now more than ever, and how he will observe Lent. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 3 March 2026 Please describe your new organization and your roles; your ecumenical family is eager to hear! Simon:The Mission Board of the Reformed Swiss Churches has 36 partners in 14 different countries on four different continents. We focus on three different areas: sustainable ecology, education, and conviviality, which incudes living together, human rights, theological formation, and inter-religious relations. We have a staff of nearly 20 people based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and around 30 people abroad. Next to the partnerships and developing a fellowship of churches, one of our aims is  to bring more cultural and ethnic diversity into the Swiss member churches—I think we have a lot to do! In addition to this, I spend 30 percent of my time at the University of Lausanne at the Faculty of Theology, where I am in charge of intercultural theology. I am glad I can continue to work with one leg in church life and the other in academia—it’s a fantastic combination, from which both organizations benefit! Even though it’s not easy to get the money we need for these endeavors, we have the possibility to mold our institutions in new directions.  How do you look back on your many roles in the WCC? Simon: I had worked for ten years with the WCC before I got the offer for my new roles, and took the opportunity. I must say, I take a lot away in my heart from the WCC. I was involved in so many different areas, not only teaching but also administratively, being dean and director of ecumenical formation. I spent time dealing with applicant churches, ecumenical officers, and even the COVID-19 support team—so many different aspects. What I’m taking with me is certainly the privilege of having had over 500 students from all over the world from different denominations sitting in one classroom. It was really about a mutual learning. I take with me the possibility of listening to them, which broadened my heart more for Christian diversity and religious diversity. Working with this multicultural staff and colleagues was amazing in an organization where everybody is coming from a different country and has a different language. That experience is really, really singular. I always saw this as a huge benefit and a huge gift, having such a context around you.  I would like to share that, in these times of craziness, in these times of more and more problems all over the world, I think that there is a huge need for the WCC and its activities more than ever. I was always convinced as a staff of the necessity of WCC but now, from a distance, I see it even more. How will you observe Lent this year?  Simon: Lent is an invitation of God to reflect on our lives, and I think this is extremely important—even more important in these days with all these conflicts, to reflect on my life and not only for myself but for others. It is really about being compassionate and reflecting on the way we interact with each other. This is what I’m focusing on.  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