WCC news: From Sámi theology to Hinduism, WCC webinar will highlight calls for biodiversity justice

Up to one million plant and animal species are on course for extinction, most of it caused by human activity. On 22 May, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is bringing together online voices from five of the world’s major faith traditions to ask a question that is becoming harder to avoid: can Orthodox, Sámi, Buddhist, Islamic, and Hindu conviction become a living force for biodiversity justice? The occasion is the International Day for Biological Diversity. Speakers for the WCC webinar From Faith to Action: Interreligious Call for Biodiversity Justice (22 May 2026). Top row, left to right: Dr Lovisa Mienna Sjöberg, VID Specialized University; Mr Kevin Maina, Church of Kenya; Dr Alexandra Masako Goossens-Ishii, Soka Gakkai International; Prof. Dr Mathew Koshy Punnackadu, WCC commissioner for Climate Justice and Sustainable Development. Bottom row, left to right: Dr Seyed Masoud Noori, Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya; Rev. Dr Jessica Hetherington, United Church of Canada; Dr Gopal Patel, FutureFaith. 13 May 2026 The webinar – “From Faith to Action: Interreligious Call for Biodiversity Justice” – will run from 15:00 to 16:00 CEST. Dr Louk Andrianos, WCC consultant for Care for Creation, Sustainability, and Climate Justice, will coordinate the session. "Biodiversity loss is a justice crisis. The communities least responsible for the destruction of ecosystems are almost always the first to bear its consequences,” highlights Athena Peralta, director, WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development. “What faith traditions bring to this moment is a moral vocabulary that science alone cannot provide: the call to ecological conversion, to genuine reconciliation with the living world, and to the kind of transformation in our lifestyles and economic systems that creation justice demands, for this generation and every generation to come." Each of the five speakers arrives from a different tradition with a different set of questions. Dr Christina Nellist is one of the most prominent Eastern Orthodox voices on creation care, working at the intersection of theology and animal suffering. Lovisa Mienna Sjöberg is an associate professor at VID Specialized University whose research on Sámi theology approaches green colonialism and extractivism from within Arctic Indigenous experience. They are joined by representatives from Soka Gakkai International (Buddhism), the Imam Mahdi Association of Marjaeya (Islam), and the FutureFaith initiative (Hinduism). Dr Mathew Koshy Punnackadu, WCC commissioner for Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, will offer a closing spiritual message and prayer. This year’s International Day for Biological Diversity theme – “Acting locally for global impact” – anchors the session’s logic: that what faith communities do in their own contexts is not separate from the global effort to halt biodiversity collapse. The webinar forms part of the WCC’s Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action and brings together partners including the Faiths for Biodiversity coalition, Season of Creation, ACT Alliance, Laudato Si Movement, Lutheran World Federation, World Communion of Reformed Churches, and European Christian Environmental Network, among others.  Register for the webinar here More information about the event here Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action  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: Trump's border wall threatens mountain on Catholic land

Trump border wall threatens mountain that sits on New Mexico diocese's land   EarthBeat Weekly Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change May 15, 2026   Workers have cut a gash, right, through the southern slope of Mount Cristo Rey, which straddles the border between Sunland Park, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to build a new section of border wall, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (RNS/Corrie Boudreaux) During the first Trump administration, persistent attempts to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border was a constant focus of media coverage and national attention.  But during President Donald Trump's second term, the wall largely has fallen out of the spotlight, amid a maelstrom of major news around government slashes, immigration crackdowns, war, rising prices and controversies surrounding Jeffrey Epstein. This week, though, the wall was back in the headlines and with a Catholic (and environmental) angle. On Monday, Aleja Hertzler-McCain reported for Religion News Service that the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico, said it intends to fight the Trump administration's fast-moving attempts to seize its land through eminent domain to extend the southern border wall. The land in question is at the base of Mount Cristo Rey, a mountain and pilgrimage site topped by a 29-foot-tall limestone statue of Jesus Christ that dates back to 1940. The diocese said the border wall would obstruct pilgrimage routes. "The erection of a border wall through or along this holy site could irreparably damage its religious and cultural sanctity, obstruct pilgrimage routes, and transfer sacred space into a symbol of division," the Diocese of Las Cruces said in a legal filing May 8.  The diocese has accused any seizure of the land or construction on it as "a significant infringement on religious freedom and the rights of worship" and a violation of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Read more: Catholic diocese fights Trump administration plan to seize pilgrimage site for border wall While the government's attempts to seize land owned by the Las Cruces Diocese garnered national attention this week — covered by The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, Axios, Bloomberg, among other news outlets — the story dates back further.  In June 2025, the Department of Homeland Security waived environmental and historical preservation laws that cleared the way for a border wall on Mount Cristo Rey, as Inside Climate News reported at the time. EarthBeat republished on Thursday a story by Inside Climate News that looks deeper at the history of Mount Cristo Rey, viewed by local Catholics as a sacred site "where faith transcends borders," as Martha Pskowski reports. Mount Cristo Rey sits where the land border between the U.S. and Mexico ends and the Rio Grande becomes the dividing line. For centuries called Paso del Norte — the northern pass — this point has been a crossroads for Indigenous peoples, Spanish colonizers and later settlers traveling west on the early transcontinental railroads.  A priest at the Catholic Church in nearby Smeltertown first proposed building a statue on the mountaintop in the 1930s. The mountain, previously known as Cerro de los Muleros, or Mule Driver's Mountain, was later renamed Mount Cristo Rey.  Today, it remains a pilgrimage site for thousands of people, who climb its slope each Good Friday as well as around the Feast of Christ the King ("Cristo Rey").  The mountain is also teeming with fossils, geological formations and wildlife, including serving as a crossing point for the Mexican gray wolf between the two countries.  "There is no accountability," Robert Ardovino, a local business owner, told Pskowski. "And the damage will be irreparable." Read more: Mount Cristo Rey, in path of Trump's border wall, sits on land of New Mexico diocese What else is new on EarthBeat:   Catholic groups stress efforts to combat hunger as Senate considers farm bill by Kate Scanlon, OSV News As the U.S. Senate prepares to consider a farm bill recently approved by the U.S. House, Catholic organizations together with the U.S. bishops sought to stress to lawmakers the importance of efforts to combat hunger, such as robust support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, a major part of the nation's social safety net. Read more here »   Iran conflict shows there is no such thing as a distant war — for anyone by Shmuly Yanklowitz So often, when we in the U.S. debate a war, we omit much of the globe from the conversation: We do not talk about (or to) rice farmers in Asia or soda vendors in Kenya when discussing the cost of a war in the Middle East. Read more here » What's happening in other climate news: The U.S. is forfeiting the clean-energy race to China —By David Uberti, Ed Ballard and Brian Spegele for the Wall Street Journal Trump administration aims to roll back limits on toxic wastewater from coal-fired power plants —Marc Levy for the Associated Press Watchdog groups urge Senate to investigate Samuel Alito over oil stock conflicts —Dharna Noor for the Guardian New York plastics law advances amid debate over 'chemical recycling' —Lauren Dalban for Inside Climate News Why this tribe is buying up hundreds of acres of farmland — and flooding it —John Ryan for National Public Radio Trump administration cancels rule that made conservation a use of public lands —Matthew Brown for the Associated Press Trump's gas tax holiday pitch faces early Capitol Hill headwinds —Pavan Acharya, Amelia Davidson and Meredith Lee Hill for Politico They've got a plan to combat global warming (and also Russian tanks) —Avril Silva for The New York Times Final Beat: If you like what you read here, support our reporting by becoming a NCR Forward member. Members get first access to special events, updates from our publisher and newsroom, and opportunities to give feedback through surveys and polls. You can also forward this newsletter to a friend and ask them to subscribe. 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 5.15.2026

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. Pastor Mark Burns dedicated a golden statue of Donald Trump at one of the President's golf courses. The pastor made sure to say it wasn’t a golden calf, but the idolatry in the act was obvious. Unfortunately, Pastor Burns is not alone in coming to make an idol of Donald Trump despite every biblical exhortation against doing so. We’ve also seen our government bend to idolatry in fealty to the President. While we can see the banners featuring Donald Trump’s face across federal buildings in the Capitol, we can understand clearly the idolatry of the moment and the warnings against it. We should also understand it as Congress has made itself inert in the face of attacks on its constitutionally defined duties. With the war in Iran continuing to drag past the 60-day mark, which requires any hostilities to be authorized by Congress. As Christians, we must guard against idolatry and repair the damage that we are now seeing. We can call on our leaders to turn away from the blind worship of Trump and turn back to the principles and beliefs they hold dear. –Rev. Moya Harris and Chad Stanton, Sojourners P.S. We are continuing to build an intentional community of people looking to enact their faith in our Sojourners Faith and Practice Forum on Mighty Networks. Please consider joining us. In the News Here’s a look at what happened this week: Debates persist in Congress regarding funding for the Trump administration’s cruel deportation policies, while ICE and local law enforcement continue to implement these measures. Congressional Republicans are working to pass $72 billion in funding for immigration enforcement through the budget reconciliation process, which does not require Democratic support. President Trump has established a June 1 deadline for the bill to reach his desk. ICE is providing financial incentives to local police departments that participate in immigration enforcement. Localities receive funding by joining the federal 287(g) program, which gives local police the authority to arrest undocumented immigrants. If every police department received the promised funding—including allocation for vehicles, equipment, salaries, benefits, and bonuses for increased arrests—the total could reach $2 billion annually. The combined effects of the war on Iran and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) have contributed to an affordability crisis for Americans across socioeconomic backgrounds, with particularly severe consequences for those who are economically vulnerable. The Pennsylvania Independent interviewed economically vulnerable people throughout the state, revealing widespread hardship and significant concerns regarding the OBBBA’s reductions to SNAP and Medicaid, as well as the failure to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits that previously reduced health insurance premiums. One home care worker reported having to choose between buying groceries and paying the utility bills. Although 75 percent of Americans believe the Iran war has negatively affected their finances, President Trump stated Tuesday that he does “not even a little bit” think about Americans’ financial situation when addressing Iran. Meanwhile, the Labor Department reported Wednesday that wholesale inflation rose to 6 percent in April as a result of the war. Threats to voting rights and the integrity of upcoming elections persist nationwide, with new efforts to maximize white and Republican voting power through gerrymandering, lawsuits, and other tactics in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling. Florida is defending its new congressional map in court, asserting that it lacks ‘signs’ of partisan gerrymandering. Multiple voting-rights and civil-rights organizations have filed lawsuits against the state, contending that the map clearly violates voter-approved anti-gerrymandering standards and is “one of the most extreme congressional maps” enacted in the past 50 years. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) called in June to redraw the state’s electoral maps ahead of the 2028 elections. The session follows the Louisiana v. Callais ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act, and is consistent with actions by other Southern states to redraw maps in ways that dilute minority representation. Take Action There will be a national day of action tomorrow in defense of voting rights, organized by All Roads Lead To The South coalition. Fund Care, Not ICE will be a march and rally organized by Popular Democracy and partners to demand a humane budget. It will take place at Benjamin Banneker Park, in Washington, D.C., on May 20. What We’re Reading “Decolonizing Faith From Palestine to the Philippines” | The purpose of theology is to give colonized people—from Mindanao to Palestine to communities across the world—the faith and tools they need to practice decolonization. (by Yanan Rahim Navarez Melo) “The DOJ’s Report on Anti-Christian Bias Mistakes Policy for Persecution, Advocates Say” | “If you’ve grown up in certain evangelical circles your entire life, this can perhaps feel like an attack,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean it is one.” (by Ken Chitwood) Deep Breaths This week, Rev. Harris is traveling, so for this week’s Deep Breaths, I’d like to share a poem by Terrance Hayes about Octavia Butler. Hayes is a Silver Professor of English at New York University who has won numerous prizes for his poetry and criticism. –Chad Stanton, Political Director, Sojourners ————— AMERICAN SONNET STARRING OCTAVIA BUTLER I In Julie Dash's Octavia Butler the director washes Octavia's Monumental feet & toenails in buckets of government water When there are no seas or rivers handy. It takes too long Awaiting God's drizzle though there are open barrels outside The camera's frame in the scene where Butler lies outdoors Letting her entire mouth fill with tap water, then spitting the water Into the air blessed & better after the taste of her speech. If you don't see suffering's potential as art, will it remain suffering? When Butler tells Dash she's dreamed of storms all week, Dash asks to film the dreams. The camera watches Butler sleep A full moon humming something in the same baritone she uses When she speaks. Of course, Octavia Butler stars in Octavia Butler. She buys blouses with patterns of leaves & flowers in the off-hours And listens to the young hotel desk clerk worry about precipitous weather. ––Rev. Moya Harris, Senior Director of Programs, 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 Copyright © 2026 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842

SojoMail - Who counts as persecuted?

View this email in your browser By Betsy Shirley Editor in Chief, Sojourners There are 1,753 articles in the Sojourners archives that reference Isaiah 58:8 and for good reason: The verse offers a succinct summary of the biblical call to social justice. “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” Jesus himself quotes the verse in his first sermon. But who exactly are “the oppressed” that need liberating? Two recent stories offer different views. Last month, a Trump-created task force released a 565-page report on what it described as the “anti-Christian bias” perpetuated by the Biden administration. Alleged examples of this bias included the fact that the Transgender Day of Remembrance fell on Easter Sunday in 2024. For some, the report confirmed that the Christian faith in the U.S.—or at least a particular version of it—has been persecuted by the federal government. Meanwhile, Sojourners opinion columnist Yanan Rahim Navarez Melo traces “the afterlife of U.S. colonial rule” that has killed, displaced, and deprived people of self-determination from the Philippines to Palestine. Quoting Filippino theologian Karl Gaspar, Melo says that “Jesus always sides with those who, under empire, suffer ‘in the collage…of blood and tears.’” It’s a sobering contrast to what’s documented in Trump’s task force. Elsewhere this week: Our authors examine how Christians can offer more persuasive alternatives to war and be patriotic in all the right ways. And in the latest Sojourners cover story, Josina Guess offers a beautiful meditation on her mother-in-law’s dementia in light of a different verse in Isaiah: “Can a woman forget her nursing child […] Even these might forget, yet I will not forget you.” The DOJ’s Report on Anti-Christian Bias Mistakes Policy for Persecution, Advocates Say (by Ken Chitwood) The government alleges a crisis for Christians' religious freedom. But critics say “religious freedom only exists when it is enjoyed by everyone.” Read the full article Advertisement Our Latest Stories Decolonizing Faith From Palestine to the Philippines (by Yanan Melo) When faced with colonization, the proper Christian response is to translate our theology of liberation into radical political action. Read more How Christians Can Offer Persuasive Alternatives to War (by Eli S. McCarthy) Politicians are comfortable debating if a war meets their criteria for legitimacy. But there’s a better framework for moral action. Read more Celebrating the People Who Are Patriotic in All the Right Ways (by Liuan Huska) The US hasn’t lived up to its ideals, but there is one “American Christian value” that I still pursue. Read more From the Magazine: Even If These Forget (by Josina Guess) Living with my late mother-in-law through her dementia diagnosis taught me these lessons about God’s love. Read more Advertisements Action Alert: No War With Iran! Contact Congress now to demand peace and an end to the war with Iran. As Christians, we know that each and every life is precious and every step must be taken to avoid bloodshed. Instead of recklessly pursuing a policy of escalation, we demand an end to violence and vigorous oversight from Congress in pursuit of peace. Spirituality and Activism Justice work demands more than urgency—it requires sustainable practices that fuel long-term resistance. Light for the Way shows how contemplation, sabbath rest, and community care aren't distractions from activism but essential tools for it. Donate Subscribe Copyright © 2026 Sojourners. All rights reserved. 611 Pennsylvania Ave SE #342, Washington, DC 20003 Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842