WCC NEWS: National Council of Churches in Korea delegation visits WCC

A 21-person delegation from the National Council of Churches in Korea visited the World Council of Churches (WCC) on 28-29 November. Visit National Council of Churches Korea Photo: Grégoire de Fombelle/WCC 03 December 2024 On 28 November, after receiving a guided tour of the Ecumenical Centre, the delegation received overviews of the WCC and its church relations, as well as its work related to peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula. The visitors also toured Old Town Geneva. On 29 November, the delegation participated in a morning prayer for 16 Days of Against Gender-Based Violence, which is being observed 25 November through 10 December.  Visit National Council of Churches Korea Photo: Grégoire de Fombelle/WCC The visitors discussed the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity, and met with WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay. Pillay said the visit is a sign of visible Christian unity. “We gratefully acknowledge the strong ecumenical engagement and support from churches in Korea, which includes the important milestone of hosting the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan in 2013, with the theme 'God of life, lead us to justice and peace,’ ” said Pillay. The delegation received a guided tour and introduction to the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey. They concluded their visit with a hybrid dialogue about unity, mission, and ecumenical formation. "We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the WCC; Ms Marianne Ejdersten, director of Communication; and all the staff for warmly welcoming the delegation from the the Commission on Faith and Order of Korean Churches and the National Council of Churches in Korea, which work tirelessly for church unity and common witness of Korean churches and Christians,” said Rev. Jongseng Kim, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Korea. “We sincerely hope that diverse Christians around the world will continue to pave the way for life and peace, even in this age of global conflict and uncertainty, through prayer and action within the ecumenical movement. Furthermore, we look forward to continuing our collaboration and solidarity with you for reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula,” said Kim. Denominations represented by the Korean delegation included Anglican, Catholic, Evangelical, Methodist, Orthodox, Presbyterian, and Salvation Army. Their study visit also included a visit to the Vatican and a meeting with Pope Francis, as well as a visit to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Link to photo gallery  The Light of Peace: Churches in Solidarity with the Korean Peninsula (2020) Visit National Council of Churches Korea Photo: Gloria Charles/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 352 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 general secretary meets with South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo

The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, accompanied by Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC program director for Public Witness and Diakonia, the general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), Rev. Kim, Jong Seng and other leaders from the NCCK met with South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo.  Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) meeting with South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo.  Photo: Office of the Prime minister of South Korea 24 September 2024 Discussions focused on some critical issues: peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula, climate justice and sustainable development, humanitarian assistance to North Korea and sanctions. Commitment to peaceful unification Pillay raised the possibility that easing certain sanctions, the brunt of which are born by the people of North Korea, could help foster improved relations on the Korean Peninsula. Further, he stressed the need for humanitarian aid to reach the North Korean people particularly considering an ongoing outbreak of a drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis. While there was great support for humanitarian assistance to North Korea, it was expressed that churches should ensure that such aid is distributed equitably to those most in need. Also discussed was the WCC’s longstanding advocacy for Korean unification. Pillay reaffirmed the church’s mission in promoting peace and reconciliation, emphasizing the WCC’s role in facilitating dialogue and peaceful resolutions in our work with the NCCK and the Korean people, both in the South and North, over several decades.  Shared vision for climate justice The conversation also focused on climate justice, particularly the WCC’s “Living Planet” agenda, as highlighted at the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe in 2022, and South Korea’s active participation in the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in Baku in November this year. Discussions revolved around WCC’s leadership in addressing climate and environmental challenges, as well as South Korea’s ongoing initiatives to transition to carbon-free energy and reduce plastic consumption. Pillay proposed that climate action could serve as a potential platform for peacebuilding between North and South Korea, given the shared interest in environmental sustainability, and the possibility that this approach could offer new avenues for cooperation and dialogue. Strengthening collaboration Pillay expressed deep gratitude to the prime minister for the South Korean government’s commitment to both peace and climate justice. He reiterated the WCC’s dedication to working alongside the National Council of Churches in Korea and the Ecumenical Forum for Korea to explore pathways to peace and advance the possibility of peaceful reunification on the Korean Peninsula. He stated that though there may be political challenges in the reunification process, yet it is the obligation and responsibility of the church to work towards reconciliation and healing of all people and creation, this is a gospel imperative that is pleasing to God.  The meeting concluded with a mutual commitment to further collaboration on the key areas of peace, unification, and climate justice. As National Council of Churches in Korea celebrates 100 years, WCC recognizes “exemplary courage” (WCC news release, 20 September 2024) Peter Prove: Churches offer hope and solidarity as pursuit of peace is changing (WCC news release, 23 September 2024) Photo gallery of the visit WCC member churches in Korea The WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, accompanied by Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC program director for Public Witness and Diakonia, the general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Korea Rev. Kim Jong Seng and other leaders from the NCCK met with South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo. Photo: Office of the Prime minister of South Korea 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 352 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 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

WCC news: As National Council of Churches in Korea celebrates 100 years, WCC recognizes “exemplary courage”

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, attending an international conference commemorating the centennial of the National Council of Churches in Korea and 40 years since the Tozanso Process, offered a keynote address on the theme of the gathering, “God of Life, Renew All Creation in Your Love.” WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay speaks at the International Conference for the 100th Anniversary of the National Council of Churches in Korea. Photo: Kyu Hee Choi/NCCK 20 September 2024 “The theme is of particular significance to the Korean context given the long quest for peace and reconciliation over so many decades,” said Pillay. “It recognises that God is the God of life.” Pillay especially recognizes the exemplary courage of the National Council of Churches in Korea’s faithful and persistent witness for peace, justice, and human dignity and rights through extremely difficult periods in Korea’s history. “This has been – and continues to be – a costly witness, often unpopular and in opposition to the prevailing political and social climate, and resulting in real hardships for those proclaiming it,” he said. “It is a sobering context in which to recall the history of the Tozanso Process.” Pillay offered an historical overview of how international ecumenical solidarity for a sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the region has been repeatedly expressed in word and deed.  “The apparently insurmountable obstacles to peace, reconciliation and justice in this region and around the world today all too easily engender feelings of despair and helplessness,” Pillay. said. “Prayer puts us in touch with the God of life and the root of our ultimate values.” In a message from the WCC sent to the National Council of Churches in Korea in commemoration of its centennial, Pillay pledged the WCC’s untiring commitment to just peace in Korea.  “Today, with recent changes in the Korean government and in the larger geopolitical context, momentum toward dialogue, cooperation, and improved relations has largely stalled,” the message reads. “We lament the deterioration of relations and the stubbornness of the parties, we decry the military gamesmanship, we grieve for the separated families, and we regret the economic hardship inflicted on Koreans.” Pillay reiterated the need to stand tall for peace. “All of us must remain deeply committed to inter-Korean leadership for peace and reunification of the divided Korean people,” the message reads. “We must recall and re-capture the spirit of Tozanso to help break through the current deadlock on the Korean Peninsula and bring an end to the cyclical escalations of tensions and the concomitant risks of nuclear conflict in the region.” Photo gallery WCC general secretary will visit Korea to pray and work with churches - WCC news release, 18 September 2024 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 352 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 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

WCC NEWS: National Council of Churches in Korea holds 70th General Assembly with theme that shares with WCC “the common wisdom of love”

The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) held its 70th General Assembly on 22 November with the theme “Walk the Path of the New Commandment.” Participants of the NCCK 70th Assembly hold signs calling for climate justice and prayer. Photo: NCCK 23 November 2021 Speakers explored, among other topics, the connection between this theme and that of the upcoming World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany in September 2022.  “This theme certainly resonates with the theme of the WCC’s 11th Assembly, ‘Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity,’ serving as an invitation to the churches across the world to share in the common wisdom of love to move us all to be reconciled and to find our true unity as children of God,” said WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca as he greeted the NCCK assembly. “We are bound together by the love of Christ, and called to be disciples of his love, loving one another, and transforming the world through love.” In a keynote speech, Peter Prove, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, thanked the National Council of Churches in Korea for its ecumenical commitment. “The WCC is grateful for your steadfast commitment and focus on the love of Christ as the driving and motivating force of our Christian ministry and witness,” said Prove.  Reflecting a shared focus on the global climate emergency, Prove stressed that the fellowship of churches in the WCC and NCCK “should continue seeking unity in the fight for climate action and climate justice, in the diminishing window of opportunity that still remains for the fundamental changes needed to prevent catastrophic climate change." Peter Prove, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs speaking at the WCC-NCCK Peace consultation on the Korean Peninsula. Photo: NCCK A consultation was also held on 23 November on peace-building on the Korean Peninsula, and those gathered expressed appreciation that, despite the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCCK and the WCC could still undertake a global prayer for peace campaign in 2020 and a series of joint initiatives to mark the 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.  After the long separation due to the pandemic, they expressed hope for a face-to-face encounter between the NCCK and the Korean Christian Federation (KCF) of North Korea at the WCC 11th Assembly.  “For the WCC, our involvement in working for peace, reunification and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula combines the fundamental ecumenical objective of visible unity between the churches of the world, with the diaconal mission to respond to those in need, and the Christian calling to be peacemakers, promoting peace and dialogue instead of conflict and violence,” said Prove during the consultation.  Acknowledging the special challenges resulting from the collapse of the recent political dialogue process as well as the pandemic, Prove stressed that peace cannot wait while tensions and conflict risks escalate. “Therefore we must renew and strengthen our commitment and the efforts we make together for peace and reunification on the Korean Peninsula, despite the obstacles,” he said. “I pray that we will, through our fellowship and collaboration and with God’s help, find the wisdom and strength to overcome all such obstacles to a better future for all the people of the Korean Peninsula, and of the world.” Greetings of the WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca to the 70th General Assembly of the NCCK Keynote speech by Peter Prove, director of the WCC-CCIA at the 70th General Assembly of the National Council of Churches in Korea Address by Peter Prove, director of the WCC's CCIA at the WCC-NCCK Consultation on peace-building on the Korean Peninsula WCC member churches in Republic of Korea  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