WCC news: WCC general secretary delivers keynote at G20 Interfaith Forum

As the G20 Interfaith Forum convened in Cape Town, South Africa, World Council Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay delivered a keynote presentation focusing on sustainability.  WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay. Photo: Rudelmar Bueno de Faria 13 August 2025 The G20 Interfaith Forum is gathering under the theme “Ubuntu In Action: Focus on Vulnerable Communities.”  Pillay opened his remarks with a definition of the word “sustainability,” reflecting that it has become a buzzword for the current generation—but it wasn’t always a common concept.  Today, he said, the term involves both material and political aspects.  Pillay relayed how, in the 1980s, the term “sustainability” was picked up by the United Nations, then came into the forefront with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.  “The idea is that the world’s future requires a vision of development that can be sustained in the long run,” explained Pillay. “The goal must be a robust, sustainable society where each individual can feel secure.” He further reflected on the current context, including the trajectory of emissions and the worsening global climate.  “You cannot really talk about sustainability without talking about issues of inequalities,” said Pillay.  His keynote was followed by a panel discussion. Watch the recording of this event 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

WCC NEWS: WCC acting general secretary to participate in G20 Interfaith Forum in Italy

 

World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca will participate in the G20 Interfaith Forum, to be held in Bologna, Italy on 12-14 September. Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, World Council of Churches acting general secretary addresses the high-level interfaith dialogue on global multilateral cooperation amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Geneva, 30 August 2021. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 06 September 2021 The program will include ministerial sessions, focus sessions organised in cooperation with partner institutions, and thematic sessions. Sauca will be speaking in a focus session entitled “Is Christian Ecumenism a Model?” Speakers will be discussing Christian ecumenism as a viable model for Muslims; whether Christian unity is a threat or an opportunity; and delimiting the conflict in ecumenical theology.  The session will be co-chaired by Dr Claudio Paravati, director of the study center and magazine Confronti. A representative from the World Communion of Reformed Churches will also speak.  Other invited speakers to the session are: Khazhak Barsamian, pontifical legate of the Western Europe and Representative of the Armenian Church to the Holy See; Luca Ferracci, affiliated researcher at the Fondazione per le scienze religiose; Martin Junge, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity), and Christian Krieger, president of the Council of European Churches. The G20 Interfaith Forum is hosted by KAICIID, or the International Dialogue Centre, dedicated to the facilitation of dialogue between followers of different cultures and religions. G20 Interfaith Forum 2021 WCC's work on the Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation 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 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland