At World Council of Churches gathering, Russian church keeps its membership
RNS After a sometimes tense week that included passionate exchanges, the 11th assembly of the World Council of Churches approved a statement on Thursday regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that denounces the war but does not single out the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, who has been widely criticised for supporting the […]
The Interview: Will the World Council of Churches expel Kirill? We talk with Bishop Mary Ann Swenson
JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, speaks with Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, a United Methodist in the US who serves on the WCC’s executive committee and works as a vice moderator for the group’s central committee…
World Council of Churches urges Patriarch Kirill to lobby for Easter ceasefire
RNS The head of the World Council of Churches is urging Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, to call for a ceasefire in Ukraine as Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter this weekend. “People lost their trust and hope in politicians and in a possible peaceful negotiation and a ceasefire,” Rev Ioan […]
World Council of Churches faces calls to expel Russian Orthodox Church; Vatican mulls meeting between Pope, Patriarch
RNS The World Council of Churches is under pressure to oust the Russian Orthodox Church from its ranks, with detractors arguing the church’s leader, Patriarch Kirill, invalidated its membership by backing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and involving the church in the global political machinations of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The debate garnered a response on […]
Essay: The World Council of Churches must act with courage and expel Kirill
In an article first published on Religion News Service, Rev ROB SCHENCK, president of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute in Washington, DC, explains why the World Council of Churches should expel the Russian Orthodox Church…
World Council of Churches “dismayed” over Hagia Sophia shift; Pope Francis “deeply pained”
Frankfurt, Germany/Vatican CityAP The head of the World Council of Churches has written to Turkey’s President expressing his “grief and dismay” over Turkey’s decision to change the status of Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque. As a World Heritage museum, “Hagia Sophia has been a place of openness, encounter and inspiration […]
World Council of Churches expresses shock over “appalling” attacks in Afghanistan including on maternity ward
The World Council of Churches has expressed deep shock and sadness over two attacks in Afghanistan including one in a Kabul hospital in which mothers and newborn babies were killed. Gunmen attacked the hospital in Kabul on Tuesday morning, killing at least 24 – including many mothers and two newborn babies, and injuring at least […]
Christians invited to join global day of prayer to end coronavirus pandemic on 14th May
Christians around the world have been invited to join in a global day of prayer for God to end the COVID-19 pandemic on 14th May. The day is a joint initiative between the World Council of Churches and the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, of which the WCC is part. Rev Prof Dr Ioan Sauca, […]