RNS Morning Report: “A divided church has no message to a divided world,” says WCC general secretary to GETI

Speaking at the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) on 23 October, Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), delivered an address titled “Do We Need Church Unity?” urging Christians worldwide to embrace unity as a divine calling and a practical necessity for healing a broken world. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 23 October 2025 Pillay reminded GETI participants that Christian unity is central to the witness and mission of the church. “A divided church has no message to a divided world,” he said. In his address, Pillay linked the need for unity to the global “polycrisis” – a convergence of climate change, poverty, conflict, injustice, and political instability. “In such a context, Christian unity matters more than ever. We must be one in proclaiming justice, reconciliation, and hope.” He outlined four key pillars of this call to unity: justice, love, peace, and hope. “The church must be a prophetic voice for justice in the face of poverty, violence, and oppression; a living expression of love and reconciliation in a divided world; a peacemaker amid growing global conflict; and a beacon of hope in times of despair,” said Pillay. “Christian unity is not optional,” he concluded. “It is an obligation — obedience to Christ’s prayer that we may all be one. In unity we glorify God, transform the world, and make visible the power of love to heal and reconcile creation.” The in-person session of GETI is being held from 12–29 October at the Saint Bishoy Monastery in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, alongside the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order. Read the full text of the WCC general secretary's presentation to GETI GETI 2025 photo gallery Learn more about GETI 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

WCC news: Global ecumenical students visit heart of Coptic tradition in Cairo

As part of the study visit program of the 2025 edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI), participants visited the historic Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of St. Mark in Cairo on 22 October. GETI participants visit the Saint Mark Cathedral in Cairo, of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 23 October 2025 Inaugurated in 1968, St. Mark’s Cathedral is the largest in Africa and the Middle East, with a capacity of 5,000 worshippers. It serves as the seat of the Pope of Alexandria and is dedicated to St. Mark the Evangelist, who is credited with founding the Coptic Orthodox Church. Reflecting on the visit, GETI academic facilitator Rev. Dr Chad Rimmer of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America expressed appreciation for the hospitality extended by His Holiness Pope Tawadros II and the Coptic Orthodox Church. “To be welcomed here has impressed me in several ways,” Rimmer said. “The most striking for me, upon entering the cathedral, is the iconography. Normally, icons are windows to the divine, but here they also tell the story of the Coptic Church and its tradition.” Built when the patriarchal see was moved from Alexandria to Cairo in 1968, the cathedral contains a crypt beneath the altar housing the tomb of St. Mark. “It is not only about the past, but the present,” added Rimmer, who serves as rector and dean at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in the United States. “From the relics of St. Mark and St. Athanasius to the stories of faith from biblical times through the modern history of the Coptic Church, this place shows us a living and vibrant faith.” The cathedral complex also includes a burial church for four popes and hosts liturgical services, Bible studies, and youth programs. The in-person session of GETI is being held from 12–29 October 2025 at the Saint Bishoy Monastery in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, alongside the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order. GETI 2025 photo gallery Learn more about GETI 2025 GETI opens with combination of knowledge, spiritual depth, and divine grace (WCC news release, 13 October 2025) As GETI opens, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II to young people: “you are the heartbeat of Christianity” (WCC news release, 13 October 2025) Churches called to remember, resist, and rebuild: GETI plenary reflects on faith amid persecution (WCC news release, 15 October 2025) Ecumenism as a lived experience: GETI study visits transform faith and understanding (WCC feature, 20 October 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

WCC news: Ecumenism as a lived experience: GETI study visits transform faith and understanding

From 18-19 October, students attending the World Council of Churches' Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, had the opportunity to embark on study visits to the library of Alexandria, Coptic Cathedral of St Mark, Coptic Theological Seminary, Citadel of Qaitbay, Greco-Roman Museum, the pyramids at Giza in Cairo. Alberte Meier Vind from Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, and Demarius Walker from The Episcopal Church (USA). Photo:Marcelo Schneider/WCC 21 October 2025 Two students, Alberte Meier Vind from Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, and Demarius Walker from The Episcopal Church (USA), were among the study visit participants.  Vind shared reflections about growing up in a very secular context, in a country where religion isn’t very outspoken. “I’m studying theology and currently doing my master’s in ecumenism,” said Vind. “I’m also very involved in the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe, which takes up a great deal of my time.” Walker, who grew up Baptist, shared the journey of changing faith traditions.  “I currently serve on a committee working to bring the Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church into full communion, which has been a beautiful process to witness,” said Walker. “I’m also on my way toward the priesthood — with the Quakers in Indiana walking with me on that path.” The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a major library and cultural center on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt. Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC For Vind, GETI has been about a lived experience.  “This encounter with other experiences, cultures, and languages has been transformative,” said Vind. “When I came here, I thought it would be just an academic program. But it’s turned out to be so much more.” GETI, added Vind, has shown that ecumenism is not just an idea. “ Christianity is a living, breathing thing, shaped through dialogue, through meeting new people, stepping out of our comfort zones, and engaging in all these discussions — around the dinner table, in classrooms, or even while walking to get coffee,” said Vind. “We learn so much about and from each other.” For Vind, the important thing isn’t that we all agree. “We’re not here to find agreement on every theological point — that would be impossible, and thank God for that!” said Vind. “Our diversity is what allows us to grow and move forward.” Some of the GETI participants at the Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria. Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC GETI students had their first contact with monastic life in the Coptic Orthodox Church — a direct line St Mark, one of the 12 disciples. On Sunday morning, they joined the Coptic liturgy led by His Imminence Bishop Abraham at the Church of the Creed, at Logos Papal Center.  Vind said that was a remarkable experience. “Encountering Orthodoxy firsthand — seeing what it truly is, understanding where it comes from, and appreciating its sense of continuity — has been deeply inspiring,” said Vind. “It’s amazing that in 2025 we can still trace a living connection from the early church fathers to today.” Walker reflected on a conversation around the table about understanding their experience with relics at St Mark’s. “I left that discussion full of energy, listening to people from Reformed, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions — all coming from very different perspectives — share how they experienced the same event,” said Walker. “When we talk like that, it’s not about debate; it’s about understanding ourselves and one another.” On Sunday 19 October, GETI participants joined the Coptic liturgy led by His Imminence Bishop Abraham at the Church of the Creed, at Logos Papal Center.  Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC Vind concluded that the key pillar of the whole GETI experience is relationships and the understanding that grow through dialogue. “We’ve realized just how diverse we are — and that’s a gift,” said Vind. “Talking with Anglicans, Reformed Christians, and Orthodox participants gives me new insights — even an ‘eagle’s view’ of my own church.” GET study group discuss many serious topics. “For some participants, issues like genocide and persecution are not abstract concepts — they’re part of their current reality,” said Vind. “Coming from a place where those things feel far away, it’s been challenging, even uncomfortable. But that’s part of the learning.” GETI students have also talked a lot about comfort zones. “Ecumenism and Christianity can only stay living and breathing if we’re willing to step out of where we feel safe,” said Vind. GETI 2025 participants at the Giza pyramids, Egypt. Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC GETI 2025 photo gallery Learn more about GETI 2025 GETI opens with combination of knowledge, spiritual depth, and divine grace (WCC news release, 13 October 2025) As GETI opens, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II to young people: “you are the heartbeat of Christianity” (WCC news release, 13 October 2025) Churches called to remember, resist, and rebuild: GETI plenary reflects on faith amid persecution (WCC news release, 15 October 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

WCC news: As GETI opens, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II to young people: “you are the heartbeat of Christianity”

As the residential portion of the World Council of Churches Global Ecumenical Theological Institute opened in Wadi El Natrun, Egypt, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, shared the message with young people that faith is not bound by age.  His Holiness Pope Tawadros II. Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC 13 October 2025 “You form a beautiful mosaic where diverse colors come together to reflect the image of the one Christ who unites us all,” he said to 80 young theologians and ecumenical leaders participating in GETI. “This gathering is not merely an intellectual conference or a youth activity; it is a sacred spiritual journey you share together, learning how to listen to one another, to cooperate in the spirit of love, and to walk together toward the hope that never fails.” Pope Tawadros II welcomed the students to the Monastery of Saint Bishoy. “I pray that this conference becomes a beacon of love and peace, and that you become the spiritual voice of the living Christ in this generation,” he said. “Among the profound lessons we learn from the Council of Nicaea shines before us the lesson of true discipleship.” The head of the Coptic Orthodox Church also shared lessons from the Council of Nicaea 1700 years ago that he believed would speak to the hearts of young people. “Faith is not measured by years, nor weighed by the breadth of worldly experience; it is defined by the depth of one’s communion with God and the genuine submission to His will,” he said. Pope Tawadros II urged young people to swim against the tide. "You are the sons and daughters of this generation, but you are also its light,” he said. “Today, the world does not need more words, but rather a genuine light that shines from within hearts.” He then took time to answer questions from students, who are gathered from 13-28 October to engage with the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, as well as the critical theological themes of our time.  Read the full text of His Holiness presentation Photo gallery GETI opens with combination of knowledge, spiritual depth, and divine grace (WCC news release, 13 October 2025) Learn more about GETI 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