WCC news: WCC retirees gather for news, prayers—and Bossey anniversary

An annual gathering of World Council of Churches (WCC) retirees, along with retirees from the Lutheran World Federation and other sister organizations, was held on 7 September. Participants heard the latest WCC news, prayed together, and enjoyed a birthday cake commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey.  Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 7 September 2026 In his greetings, WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay offered an update highlighting news and events from the WCC during the past year under the umbrella of the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity. “We have been working on intensifying and deepening the pilgrimage as we go along,” he said. “Interestingly enough, I think in this past year since we have met, there has been some great movement in trying to actually deepen and broaden the understanding and the impact of the whole idea of the pilgrimage.” He mentioned recent solidarity visits and dialogue with Ukraine, the Korean Peninsula, Palestine and Israel, and various African countries including Zimbabwe, South Africa, and others. The general secretary highlighted high-level meetings with presidents and ministers in these countries, addressing issues like constitutional amendments, national dialogue, wealth distribution, and xenophobia, emphasizing the WCC’s efforts to engage with member churches and ecumenical partners on the ground. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, reflected on why churches in the current global situation are called not to withdraw but to serve.  “Since the church wishes to serve, there are things to which it will have to say no,” she said. “But there are also a number of things we need to say—and urgently say—yes to as churches.” Churches are called to offer a countercultural witness in these times, Burghardt added, and one form in which that witness occurs is with responsible theology: “How to help our constituencies, our member churches, to think theologically about peace and reconciliation in times when one is in the middle of conflict, in the middle of war, and eventually also being the one who is attacked,” she said.  Hubert van Beek, who served at the WCC from 1978 to 2004 as executive secretary, noted that the event had a record turnout of 45 people, showing the increasing interest. ”The meeting took place the day after the disastrous election result in Saxen-Anhalt,” he said. “One of the urgent questions raised was how our churches deal with such extreme rightwing developments, in a country like Germany, but also elsewhere in Europe, in the US, and in Latin America." Van Beek also moderated a question-and-answer session with Pillay and Burghardt. “We would like to thank you, and want to assure you that our prayers are with you,” he said.  Questions centered on many issues, ranging form the war in Ukraine, to the WCC’s relationship with specialized ministries, to how youth voices are being heard within the ecumenical movement.  Photo gallery WCC special page: 80th anniversary of Bossey Photo: Ivars Kupcis/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