WCC news: Ecumenical delegation to visit Cuba as humanitarian crisis deepens

A high-level international ecumenical delegation initiated by the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) will be in Havana, Cuba, from 28 to 31 March, on a solidarity visit aimed at responding to the island’s deepening humanitarian crisis and growing global concern over the impact of economic sanctions on its people. Hitchhikers along a highway outside Santiago de Cuba, near the eastern tip of the Caribbean island nation of Cuba. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 27 March 2026 The visit comes as ecumenical organizations increasingly warn of the humanitarian consequences of long-standing sanctions and newly intensified restrictions affecting fuel supplies to Cuba. The United Nations recently announced the need for a revised plan of action on March 24, 2026, that addresses the “cascading effect on essential services such as health care, education, sanitation and the availability of food and water” and the “constraints on humanitarian operations.”  The United Nations heard from its representative in Havana on March 26 that dwindling energy reserves were creating “acute humanitarian risks,” as 90% of essential services in the nation rely on oil. This includes 5 million people living with chronic illnesses whose treatments are at risk of disruption and 1 million people who rely on tanker trucks for drinking water. The delegation consists of the WCRC general secretary, Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock; Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches; Jihyun Oh, stated clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and executive director of Presbyterian Life & Witness; Rev. Jimmie R. Hawkins, director of advocacy in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo, secretary-general of the Anglican Communion; Rev. Michael Blair, general secretary of the United Church of Canada; and Rev. Dr. Reynaldo Ferreira Leao Neto, general secretary of the World Methodist Council. During the visit, the delegation will meet with Cuban churches and ecumenical leaders, government officials and local communities, focusing on the humanitarian situation, the role of churches in accompanying vulnerable communities, and the need for policies that prioritize human dignity. The program also includes a visit to the National Institute of Oncology in Havana and participation in ecumenical gatherings and Palm Sunday worship services across the city. WCC, ACT Alliance express grave concern over fuel blockade imposed on Cuba (WCC news release, 19 February 2026) WCC central committee recognizes “migration emergency that particularly affects several Central American countries” (WCC news release, 24 June 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: International symposium to lay path towards digital justice in times of AI

How can faith communities advocate for a future of digital justice in an age marked by the rush towards ever more powerful digital technology and artificial intelligence across all sectors of life? A mid-April international symposium is set to explore the question. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC 27 March 2026 Organized by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) in collaboration with the World Council of Churches (WCC), Evangelische Mission Weltweit - Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany, and Brot für die Welt, the symposium will take place 13-14 April under the title “Our Common Future: Advocating for Digital Rights and AI Accountability,” in Berlin, Germany, bringing together 25 invited participants representing key ecumenical networks and partners. The symposium builds in part on groundwork laid at a first, groundbreaking international symposium held in the same city in September 2021 under the heading “Communication for Social Justice in a Digital Age.” Today, almost five years later, the advances of digital technologies and their impact across all areas of life have continued to progress – not least with the recent global breakthrough and mainstreaming of generative artificial intelligence – making all the more pertinent questions of ethics, justice, accountability, and the role of faith communities. At the heart of the upcoming symposium is the aim of catalyzing ecumenical involvement and collaboration with civil society networks – across national and international advocacy – towards digital justice and AI accountability, explains Sara Speicher, who serves as WACC deputy general secretary as well as a senior communication consultant with the World Council of Churches.  “Our symposium is seeking to establish bridges between different groupings to advance a shared ethical understanding of the pros and cons of digital technologies, including AI. Moral leadership is required to stop the currently largely unregulated rush towards more and more powerful digital technology, particularly as we see that it consistently fails to benefit all members of society, and is taking place largely without robust mechanisms for transparency and accountability,” Speicher says.  Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the World Council of Churches central committee, reflects: “As ecumenical partners, as faith communities and as civil society actors, we must build on current initiatives as well as identify new ways to strengthen our impact, to ensure a common future in which digital technology supports democratic principles and justice, peace, and care for creation.” A key outcome expected from the symposium is a concrete advocacy and capacity-building framework for coordinated and collaborative action towards digital justice. 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

EarthBeat Weekly: A Catholic social teaching approach to animal protection

New institute applies Catholic social teaching to animal protection   EarthBeat Weekly Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change March 27, 2026   A statue of St. Francis of Assisi at an animal hospital in Prince Fredrick, Maryland, July 22, 2021. (OSV News/Bob Roller) Kristin Dunn never really considered herself an "animal person."  Yes, she loved her dog Pressly, who she considers one of her best friends (along with her husband) and grew up with dogs, but she hadn't given much thought to the plights of other animals when a former colleague approached her in 2014 about a position with an animal protection organization.  Ultimately, Dunn, who was working in the nonprofit field, decided to pursue the opportunity. In her first few months, she read as many books and watched as many documentaries as she could find on the issues facing animals. What struck her most was the amount of animal suffering that was preventable, particularly on factory farms.  "One of my very first thoughts was that as a Catholic who grew up in a very Catholic home and had a lot of really wonderful Catholic influences in my life, I just felt like every Catholic needs to know what's happening to these animals," she told me in an interview.  Over the course of the next decade, that feeling lingered with Dunn, who earlier in March established the St. Francis Institute for Animals.  As I reported this week for EarthBeat, the St. Francis Institute has a vision of mobilizing a unique type of animal advocacy informed by Catholic social teaching to address the inhumane ways animals are treated by people in factory farms, laboratories and other settings.  To that end, it has compiled a mix of education and action resources for individuals and parishes, including a depository of teachings on animals from popes and theologians, alongside pages on its website devoted to law, wildlife protection, animal sentience and adoption. In addition, it has created a free monthlong reflection guide and is looking to partner with parishes to further raise awareness and help more Catholics demonstrate more compassionate relationships with all of God's creation. "We know that as Catholics, we're called to care for God's creation, and that includes his creatures," Dunn, who lives in Austin, Texas, told me. "Most people are not aware of the extent of preventable animal suffering, and so our goal is to connect church teachings on animals to the realities that animals are facing today, and with that, to empower people to take steps to make a difference." In a statement, noted theologian St. Joseph Sr. Elizabeth Johnson said the St. Francis Institute for Animals "is undertaking the vitally important work of promoting a Catholic approach to animal protection." Added Dunn, "Our main message is really that small actions can make a tremendous difference for animals." Read more: St. Francis Institute for Animals sets out to limit suffering for all God's creatures What else is new on EarthBeat:   Trump should have listened to the pope about clean energy. The Iran war shows why. by Thomas Reese, Religion News Service The president's energy policy "has left the country unprepared for his war," Thomas Reese writes. Read more here »   In Monaco, Pope Leo finds a natural ally in advancing peace, faith by Justin McLellan The microstate, which the pope will visit March 28, offers a rare example of religion exerting a visible influence in Western civic society today. Read more here »   US bishops call on House to advance bill to investigate Indian boarding school legacy by OSV News Chairmen of several U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops committees wrote in a letter to key House lawmakers that they support a bill that would establish an effort to investigate and document the histories and practices of Indian boarding schools, and their long-term effects on Native American peoples. Read more here »   Beyond Chavez: Dolores Huerta and the hidden histories of women's labor by Kat Armas Figures like Dolores Huerta, whose tireless work helped build the United Farm Workers, remind us that the movement's victories are shaped by collective stories, just as much by those remembered as by those forgotten. Read more here »   César Chávez allegations lead to canceled Masses, reassessment of his social justice legacy by Gina Christian, OSV News Catholic dioceses and organizations are canceling events and rethinking initiatives honoring the late civil rights icon César Chávez, following newly reported allegations the activist — who publicly drew on his Catholic faith in his work — sexually abused several women and girls. Read more here » What's happening in other climate news: Explainer: What does the Iran war mean for clean energy transition? —Dharna Noor for the Guardian Interior, TotalEnergies strike deal ending US offshore wind projects —Kelsey Tamborrino for E&E News Everglades restoration also helps save the planet from climate change, study finds —Amy Green for Inside Climate News The ferocity of the downpour that brought the latest Hawaii flooding surprised even meteorologists —Audrey Mcavoy and Gene Johnson for the Associated Press Nebraska fires burn grazing lands, threaten plans to grow US cattle herd —Tom Polansek for Reuters Iowa's cancer crisis linked to pesticides, PFAS, fertilizer and radon, report says —Anika Jane Beamer for Inside Climate News E.P.A. chief to headline event by group that says there's no climate crisis —Lisa Friedman for The New York Times Final Beat: As NCR Vatican correspondent Justin McClellan reported Friday, Pope Leo XIV heads to Monaco on Saturday for the first-ever papal trip to the tiny European principality along the French Riviera. During the brief visit, Leo will meet with Prince Albert II, who as McClellan reports, is viewed as "a fierce advocate of environmental protections on the global stage" with a charity established in his name for environmental causes.  That foundation provided funding for the Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health, a 2023 landmark report that was the first comprehensive examination of the full-scale health impacts of plastics across their life cycles. The commission was headed by Dr. Philip Landrigan, a leading public health physician who specializes in environmental harms to human health and the director of the Boston College Global Observatory on Planetary Health.  Landrigan and Prince Albert had previously partnered on a major study in 2020 on the impact of ocean pollution on human health. That December, Monaco convened an international symposium on the subject of oceans and human health that Boston College co-sponsored. It was through mutual connections with Amherst College — the Massachusetts school and Prince Albert's alma mater — that brought Monaco and Boston College together on the studies of pollution's health harms. During a December 2020 interview, Landrigan recounted to me their first encounter two years earlier: "I told him about our work and as we were having the conversation we jointly came up with the idea of let's do a major study of the impact of ocean pollution on human health … that's what kicked the thing off." As always, thanks for reading EarthBeat.   Brian Roewe Environment Correspondent National Catholic Reporter broewe@ncronline.org     Featured Advertisers   Looking to Hire? Offering Retreats? Selling Books? Place an Ad in NCR's Online Classified Section for Only $75 per Month!   Advertisement

Truth and Action Roundup 3.20.2026

View this email in your browser Welcome to the Truth and Action Roundup, your reliable weekly source for information, inspiration, and opportunities for action during the second Trump administration.  Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to continue receiving it. This Saturday, thousands of people will leave their homes and gather across the country for the third No Kings protest since Donald Trump returned to office. They do so in the context of a nation at war, both abroad and seemingly within. The war with Iran has continued to expand and escalate, while the U.S. is also maintaining a blockade against Cuba. In the United States, ICE agents are being deployed to airports across the country. Conservative figures and political advisors like Steve Bannon are declaring this is a perfect preview of what November will look like at the polls. Amid all of this, Congress continued to debate additional funding for agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, which started this airport crisis in the first place. This weekend’s protests could not have been timelier. As Christians, we’re told to “do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4 NRSVUE). While many will take to the streets this weekend with this teaching in mind, the deployment of ICE agents underscores how Americans have been subjected to the personal whims of Donald Trump, ruled by his interests. Deciding to deploy ICE agents to airports on a day’s notice highlights how the targeted terror aimed at communities across the country, from Los Angeles to Minneapolis, is also unnecessary. From the beginning of his administration, Trump’s own interests have steered the nation's direction. This is not how democracy works. Once again, this weekend’s “No Kings” protests could not be timelier. As we gather this weekend and demand a true vision of democracy, remember you do so not only because that’s our right as free people, but because we value others above ourselves, as commanded in Scripture. –Rev. Moya Harris and Chad Stanton, Sojourners In the News Here’s a look at what happened this week: In international news, conflict and instability continued in several hot spots, often as a result of U.S. actions: The war with Iran continued to escalate, with about 2,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division deployed to the Middle East, reportedly to “give President Trump more military options,” according to Defense Department officials who spoke to The New York Times. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Iran rejected Trump’s plan for ending the war and presented five conditions of its own, including safeguards against future attacks on Iran, the payment of war reparations and recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz. In Cuba news, a Russian tanker carrying desperately needed oil approached the island nation. Several experts alleged that the move by Russia is a deliberate provocation designed to force a disproportionate American response. Former Trump administration officials expect the tanker to be intercepted by the U.S. military before it can reach port. In Ukraine, Russia launched its largest aerial attack since the war began, hitting cities across the country with 948 drones. The attacks killed at least five people, injured scores, and damaged a 16th-century monastery that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending the war have been stalled since the United States launched its war with Iran in late February. Battles over Trump’s deportation agenda continued around the country and on Capitol Hill. ICE agents arrived at major airports around the country this week and began helping screen passengers, allegedly to ease long lines at security checkpoints caused by the partial government shutdown, which in turn was caused by the Democrats’ unwillingness to fund ICE without major reforms. According to national outlets like USA Today, the move to send ICE agents to airports has neither reduced security lines nor broken the impasse in Congress over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have asked for a variety of reforms before agreeing to fund the department, including requiring agents to wear identification and body cameras, restricting them from operating near hospitals and schools, imposing new restrictions on warrants and banning agents from wearing masks. Markwayne Mullin was sworn in Tuesday as the new Secretary of Homeland Security, replacing Kristi Noem. Mullin’s confirmation largely signaled a continuation of the Trump administration’s status quo on immigration, while he also suggested he might take a less public role than his predecessor. In the wake of Trump’s public statements disparaging Somali immigrants and the targeting of Somali immigrants in Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, a new analysis finds that two-thirds of all Somali noncitizens with an open immigration court case have been scheduled for a hearing with a new judge on short notice. The phenomenon points to the creation of an unofficial Somali “rocket docket” early this year, coinciding with Trump’s racist attacks on Somali immigrants. The electoral landscape for this year’s midterms and beyond continued to take shape. On Tuesday, Democrat Emily Gregory won a state legislative election for the district that includes President Trump’s Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago. Her predecessor, Mike Caruso, is a Republican who carried the district by 19 points in 2024. Due to Senate Republicans’ inability to pass the so-called “SAVE America Act,” which would likely disenfranchise millions of voters, some are looking to budget reconciliation as a way to pass parts of the legislation. However, the idea is facing significant pushback from conservatives in both chambers due to the slim chances of success. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon suggested the presence of ICE agents at airports this week is a “test run” for using them at polling places in the midterms later this year. Take Action We are continuing to call on Congress to end the war with Iran. We are supporting the third No Kings protest taking place Saturday. What We’re Reading “There Is No Biblical Justification for this War” | The Trump administration is begging Americans to accept its convoluted moral logic for war. Christians must say no. (by Michael Woolf) “When Leaders Like César Chávez Fall, Abuelitas Remain” | From King David to the now-disgraced UFW co-founder, patriarchy has served to protect power and obscure harm. But there is another way. (by Kat Armas) Deep Breaths No Kings I find it striking, and perhaps providential, that we are heading into No Kings weekend and Palm Sunday at the same time. The juxtaposition of antiquity's power dynamics and today's cannot be missed, and the question of which crowd you will be found in has never been more urgent. Will you stand with the oligarchs, clutching whatever bit of earthly power remains and using white supremacy as a weapon? Will you be among those shouting Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, only to turn around and support the status quo? Will you hold a sign that says No Kings, but when it’s time to truly sacrifice for your neighbor, will you turn your back? We are at a critical juncture. We must keep our eyes wide open, observing actions that contradict words. They claim America First, but involve our government in other nations' affairs, start wars, kidnap presidents, and cut social services that millions of Americans rely on. They shout Hosanna and then deport five-year-olds on commercial flights. Where will we find ourselves this November during the midterms? What will we choose when we step into the ballot box? Will we even vote? We watched the United Nations vote to recognize the atrocities of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and chattel slavery as the "gravest crime against humanity," and the United States, Israel, and Argentina were the three nations that voted against this call for reparatory justice, while others abstained entirely. We saw polarization on the world stage in real time, a stark reminder that the question of who represents all of humanity is far from settled. These are the things we must confront when we show up in the crowd. Are we doing this for show? Do we genuinely believe the world is not as God intends, even when we benefit from policies that harm others? Grace was never meant to keep us comfortable. As we move through the different crowds this weekend, whether in our neighborhoods or on Sunday morning when we wave palm leaves, let us be honest with ourselves, understanding that this moment is much deeper than it appears. For some of us, this is just the start of the struggle. For others, it has been ongoing for centuries. PS, I hope you will join a No Kings event in your neighborhood this weekend. Every voice needs to be heard in this moment. Find information on events near you here. ––Rev. Moya Harris, Sojourners The Truth and Action Roundup is compiled by Sojourners staff: President: Rev. Adam Russell Taylor Senior Research Associate: J.K. Granberg-Michaelson Digital Content and Community Specialist: Kassandra Tapia Chief Program and Impact Officer: Bryan Epps Political Director: Chad V. Stanton Senior Program Director: Rev. Moya Harris Digital Education and Outreach Specialist: Cortnie Brooks Policy and Action Assistant: Trinity Williams Donate Subscribe Unsubscribe or update email preferences Copyright © 2026 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842