WCC news: WCC general secretary addresses Africa and African Diaspora Conference

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay addressed the Africa and African Diaspora Conference in Johannesburg on 27 October. Photo: AAD 27 October 2026 The conference serves as an independent, unifying platform dedicated to advancing African sovereignty, reparatory justice, and sustainable solidarity between Africa and its global diaspora. The 2026 theme of the gathering, underway from 26-30 October, is “The Return to Africa.”  The assembly provides an intentional space for dialogue, strategic policy formation, and community-led action. Pillay’s keynote speech focused on “Churches and the struggles of Africans, people of African descent, and Indigenous Peoples.” He reflected on the ecumenical movement's long commitment to combating racism.  “Entire societies were exploited through colonial systems that extracted wealth while dehumanizing people,” he noted. “Indigenous communities across continents experienced conquest, displacement, forced assimilation, genocide, and the appropriation of ancestral lands.” The church cannot proclaim reconciliation without first acknowledging history, Pillay noted. “Indeed, the ecumenical movement has long recognized this responsibility,” he said. “The inaugural assembly of the World Council of Churches in Amsterdam in 1948 identified racial prejudice and discrimination as denials of human dignity and justice.” This commitment deepened significantly during subsequent decades, Pillay reflected. “Remembering history is not an exercise in blame,” he said. “It is an exercise, or an act, of truth-telling.” Without truth, there can be no healing, he said. “Without memory, there can be no transformation,” reflected Pillay. “Whenever a person is denied dignity because of race, ethnicity, culture, language, ancestry, or origin, the image of God is violated.” Pillay also spoke of how, for many Indigenous communities, land is not a commodity. “Land is identity. Land is history. Land is spirituality. Land is community,” he said. “The ecological crisis facing our world today reminds us that humanity cannot flourish while creation suffers.” We need moral and spiritual transformation, Pillay urged. “Justice requires more than acknowledgment. Justice requires action,” he said. “For communities affected by slavery, colonialism, apartheid, dispossession, and cultural destruction, healing cannot occur without concrete measures aimed at restoration.” Pillay also attended a luncheon celebration honoring Dr Brigalia Bam’s legacy in the ecumenical movement. In addition, he participated in a media conference on gender-based violence.  A conference declaration and action plan will be adopted on 30 October.  Watch the livestream recording Learn more about the conference 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 Feature: At COP17, a Gunadule theologian calls three crises one wound

Three UN conferences meet in 2026 on three crises: desertification, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Jocabed Solano, an Indigenous Gunadule theologian from Panama, does not see three. "The world calls these climate change, biodiversity loss, and desertification, but for us they are one wound," she said in Yerevan, Armenia, on 20 October.  Indigenous people at the Biodiversity COP17 in and Yerevan, Armenia. 27 October 2026 She was speaking at the Faith Hub, a space for faith groups at the UN biodiversity conference, COP17. With two young Indigenous church members from Finland and Bolivia, she spoke about the land behind all three negotiations, and who should care for it. Solano comes from Guna Yala, the Gunadule territory in Panama. "Nabgwana, our Mother Earth, does not live in three pieces. In Guna Yala, families from Cartí Sugdup have already left their island, because Grandmother Sea is asking for what is hers," she said. "If Nabgwana is one, the three COPs must stop walking apart. We do not own her. We are her family." The session, "Indigenous and Ecumenical Perspectives for the Triple COPs," was part of the World Council of Churches (WCC) programme at the COP17 Faith Hub where those Indigenous voices spoke for themselves. Solano is director of Memoria Indígena, a grassroots collective, and a member of the reference group that guides the WCC Ecumenical Indigenous Peoples Network. She took an image from the Guna Congress and its sagla, a traditional leader who sings there. "In our Congress, the sagla does not speak from a chair but sings from a hammock that moves with the wind and the sea. We are trying to answer living crises from chairs that never move. It is time to climb into the hammock." She also spoke about Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN biodiversity treaty, which asks governments to respect and preserve the knowledge and practices of Indigenous peoples and local communities.  "Indigenous peoples do not bring traditional knowledge as loose data for a report. We bring knowledge systems with their own law, science, and spirituality. A system cannot be extracted. It has to be recognized, respected, and funded." Far north of Guna Yala, Sámi lands face pressure of another kind. Sara Keränen, a young Sámi member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, spoke of "exploitation of our lands and waters in the name of mining and forestry." She also named "the issue of green colonialism, which means that our lands are taken away from us in the name of the green transition." Like Solano, Keränen did not set people apart from the land. "We are not separate from nature, we are part of it," she said. Keeping the land "in the hands of the people who have been taking care of the land and waters for ages, is a way not only to ensure the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples, it is also a way to protect the land's biodiversity." That care rests on knowledge. "We as Indigenous peoples know how to use the land in sustainable ways so all species can exist in harmony with each other, including human beings," Keränen said.  Jazmin Soto Mayta, a young member of the Bolivian Evangelical Lutheran Church who works with Indigenous Aymara communities, looked to the next generation. "Safeguarding biodiversity starts with securing Indigenous rights and preserving ancestral knowledge. We urge world leaders at the triple COPs to invest in intergenerational learning, because preserving ancestral wisdom in our own territories ensures the survival of all . . ." She rooted that call in faith. "Clothed in the spirit of life, we are called to cultivate and restore creation from the faithfulness of God . . ." Solano's word to churches came from faith too. "In Guna Yala we say: we do not own Nabgwana, our Mother Earth, we are her family. And you do not negotiate with family. You take care of her," she said. "Communities of faith can begin at home: restore their lands, let their money follow their faith, and stand with those who risk their lives to defend the land." Ulaanbaatar hosted the desertification COP17 in August, and Yerevan the biodiversity COP17 in October. The WCC has carried the same case to both. The third conference, COP31, the UN climate conference, will meet in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November. The WCC goes to all three as part of the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034), its ten-year commitment to climate justice. Biodiversity COP17: WCC claims space for grassroots voices WCC leaves COP17 in Ulaanbaatar with the same land question Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034) CBD, Article 8(j): Traditional Knowledge, Innovations and Practices 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

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Power in Weakness: The Message of 2nd Corinthians (God’s New Agreement - 3:1-18)

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Power in Weakness: The Message of 2nd Corinthians ...: In Second Corinthians, the Apostle Paul explored how God’s power works best in our weakness and how God offers comfort when we’re frustrated...

WCC news: Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemns attack on church in Jordan

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned an attack on Saint George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud, Karak on 23 October. The town of Jericho, with the view towards Jordan in the distance. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 23 October 2026 Three masked gunmen began shooting as dozens attended a funeral procession, killing at least seven people and wounding 40 others. Karak is located about 120km south of the capital Amman. In a statement, the patriarchate joined the bereaved families of victims, the Jordanian people, and the Hashemite leadership in mourning.  “We remain confident in the ability of our security services to act swiftly and professionally to bring the terrorist perpetrators to justice,” reads the statement. “Despite the immense pain inflicted upon Jordan as a whole and upon all people of conscience throughout the world, this abhorrent and bloody act will not undermine our national unity or steadfastness.” The patriarchate expressed its belief that the Jordanian society will remain resilient against every dark and extremist ideology, and that this criminal act is alien to the moderate Islam of the country. “We call upon our faithful and all believers to remain steadfast and to pray during these difficult moments,” the statement concludes. “May God protect Jordan and the Jordanian people.” WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay called for prayers from the global WCC fellowship and from all people of good will.  “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of those killed and pray for the healing of the injured. We stand in solidarity with the churches and people of Jordan. The strong bonds of friendship and mutual respect between Christians and Muslims in Jordan will not be shaken by this act of violence. We call for the protection of all places of worship, including churches and mosques, so that all may gather in prayer in peace and safety.” Condemnation Statement by the Jerusalem Patriarchate Regarding the Terrorist Act Targeting the Church in Al-Karak / Hammoud 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: Biodiversity COP17: WCC claims space for grassroots voices

Three UN conventions were born at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, and in 2026 all three hold their Conference of the Parties (COP). After the desertification COP17 in Ulaanbaatar in August, the biodiversity COP17 opened in Yerevan, Armenia, on 19 October. From Mongolia to Armenia, the World Council of Churches (WCC) brings the same case: the crises of land, biodiversity, and climate are bound together, and none can be solved without the communities who live with them. Representatives of the Faiths for Biodiversity coalition meeting with the Convention on Biological Diversity executive secretary Astrid Schomaker at COP17. 23 October 2026 “In Ulaanbaatar we said that land will not be restored without the communities who hold it. Indigenous Peoples are rights holders, and young people are partners, not guests. The biodiversity framework will move from promises to action only if their voices shape it,” said Athena Peralta, director of the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development. COP17 is the first global review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the plan adopted in 2022 with 23 targets for 2030. The ecumenical delegation has 20 members. They come from 16 countries, from Panama and Bolivia to Uganda and Sri Lanka, and are traveling with the WCC, Lutheran World Federation, and Anglican Communion. Hosting the WCC delegation is the Armenian Apostolic Church, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Rev. Dr Jessica Hetherington, member of the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development and chair of its working group on biodiversity, has spoken with many people at COP17, at side panels and in the coffee line. “Every single time, people express their appreciation and the importance of having voices of faith in discussions around biodiversity protection. It is time for these same voices to be present in high-level discussions and at the negotiation tables,” said Hetherington, of the United Church of Canada. At the COP17 Faith Hub, the WCC programme included a session on Indigenous and ecumenical perspectives on 20 October and an upcoming session on youth and faith communities on 26 October. After Yerevan, the WCC will take the same case to COP31, the UN climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November. Each stop belongs to the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034), the WCC’s 10-year commitment to climate justice. WCC leaves COP17 in Ulaanbaatar with the same land question Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025–2034) CBD COP17, Yerevan, 19–30 October 2026 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework 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