WCC NEWS: WCC to participate in People’s Congress for The Hague Group

World Council of Churches (WCC) programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata will serve as a delegate for the People’s Congress for The Hague Group in Amsterdam on 7 March. 23 November 2022, Bethlehem, Palestine: 'Peace please' reads some grafitti painted onto a section of the wall that separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 05 March 2026 The gathering will aim to strengthen global action for Palestinian liberation. Leading international figures, movements, trade unions, parliamentarians, and cultural voices will plan coordinated action to end complicity in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people and to uphold international law. The gathering marks one year since the formation of The Hague Group, a bloc of states including Colombia, South Africa, and Malaysia committed to advancing concrete measures to end impunity for Israel’s crimes – from halting arms transfers to pursuing accountability for war crimes. The congress will focus on building the organised people power needed to enforce states’ legal obligations: closing ports to weapons, stopping shipments, ending corporate and institutional complicity, and advancing accountability across courts, contracts, campuses, and communities. “The People’s Congress is an important space for civil society to collectively design its defence of international law and human dignity,” said Mtata. “Churches and people of faith have an obligation to stand in solidarity with the suffering and resist impunity. Our presence here is part of a broader commitment to justice, accountability, and hopefully, to a just and peaceful coexistence of Palestinians and Israelis.” 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: Peace laureate Dr Denis Mukwege advocates for peace in Democratic Republic of Congo

Dr Denis Mukwege, renowned gynaecologist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, visited Germany recently. He shared about the tremendous suffering in east Democratic Republic of Congo and highlighted that sexual violence is used as a weapon of war, now and for more than 30 years.  Dr Denis Mukwege speeking at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Photo: Gloriouspics – Glorianne Matumona 05 March 2026 He alluded to the reasons for the ongoing conflict, emphasizing that these are not based on ethnic or religious differences, but clearly on economic interests due to the richness of minerals, namely coltan, wolfram, cobalt, as well as gold that are extracted, often uncontrolled and under precarious conditions.  As these minerals are essential for the global digital transformation, this conflict also implicates the global community. He highlighted how the situation has deteriorated since January 2025, when the rebel group M23, backed by Rwanda, took over the cities of Goma and Bukavu and parts of the provinces North and South Kivu, creating access to important mining areas. The UN Security Council unanimously condemned this in UN Declaration 2773 in February 2025, but this declaration has not been followed. In fact, many peace accords have been formulated in the past and not followed.  Mukwege demanded that the international community facilitate a peace process that includes all stakeholders including affected communities but also businesses as well as governments and neighbouring countries implicated in the war based on the Addis peace accord of 2013.  Meeting with Bishop Kohlgraf in Mainz, he also alluded to the important role of the church both in the Democratic Republic of Congo and on a global level. Churches have to use their prophetic voices and advocate for peace. On his visit, Mukwege was accompanied by Dr G. Schneider, member of the WCC Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing. She, together with representatives from Bistum Mainz, Pax Christi, regional government, and the university organized a lecture and panel discussion at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz that attracted many visitors, including a large number of Congolese people living in the diaspora.  Mukwege used the forum to explain the situation, especially for women and children who are suffering tremendously and demanded that it is time not to ignore this forgotten conflict, but to take action towards peace.  Dr Christelle Beti, director of the German-Congolese Youth Institute, in response to him supported his demand for more responsibility from high-income countries who have been exploiting her home country for more than 200 years.  The panel discussion highlighted the complexity of the crisis but underlined the importance of a concerted effort for peace and justice. He summarized his demands with a quote of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, said when Bonhoeffer was imprisoned in 1945: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not consider us innocent. Not speaking is speaking. Not acting is acting.”  “We need to support Dr Mukwege in his fight for peace and justice – and churches and civil society must play their role in taking this request forward,” said Schneider. 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: Young Catholic at center of lawsuit challenging Trump's climate science rejection

Young Catholic at center of lawsuit challenging Trump's climate science rejection   EarthBeat Weekly Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change March 6, 2026   The ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, May 15, 2021. (OSV News/Reuters/Kathleen Flynn) Today at EarthBeat, I reported on one of the lawsuits filed in recent weeks challenging the Trump administration's reversal of the endangerment finding, the 2009 scientific determination by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that concluded greenhouse gases that are driving climate change pose a danger to public health and welfare.  The endangerment finding has served as the legal foundation for EPA's climate regulations, including limits on emissions from vehicles as well as power plants and other polluting industrial sources. The loss of such regulations is worrisome to Elena Venner, a 21-year-old Catholic and engineering student at California Polytechnic State University. Worrisome enough that she joined a lawsuit challenging the legality of EPA's repeal of the endangerment finding.  The suit, Venner v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is unique in that it alleges that ending the endangerment finding is a violation of the constitutional rights of Venner and her 17 fellow youth plaintiffs to life and liberty as well as religious freedom. "For me Catholicism is maintaining the dignity of all human life," she told me in an interview. "[In] Laudato Si', Pope Francis explains that protecting the environment and protecting human life, they're inseparable and we'll all interconnected. "And so with the endangerment finding [repeal] and just with climate change in general, our environment is being degraded," Venner said. "The conditions for basic life are dependent on maintaining a stable climate and access to clean air and water, and so when that isn't protected life isn't being protected." This was actually the second time I had interviewed a member of the Venner family. Back in the summer of 2019, I met with her older brother, Nick, on a hiking trail outside Denver to talk about the legal case he had joined as a child suing the federal government over its inaction on climate change. [In fact, my profile on Nick Venner was the debut story when EarthBeat launched in October 2019.] Both climate cases that the Venners joined were coordinated by Our Children's Trust, a nonprofit public interest law firm that has represented youth clients in a series of federal and state lawsuits seeking legally binding policies to address climate change. Young people go through an application process in order to join a case. Julia Olson, chief legal counsel for Our Children's Trust, said that Elena Venner's story of her religious background and how climate change has harmed her — poor air quality exacerbating asthma, family and friends evacuating their homes from wildfires, concern with a rapidly heating planet leading her to pause thinking about having children — made her an ideal fit for the endangerment finding lawsuit. In determining whose name gets attached to the case, Olson said they lean toward an older plaintiff, and "we always try to find someone to do that who's willing and able to take that on comfortably enough [in the public spotlight]. And Elena was graciously willing to step into that role." "I care a lot about climate change," Venner told me, "so I just wanted to be a part of helping where I can." Read more: Young Catholic is lead plaintiff in suit challenging EPA's endangerment finding reversal   What else is new on EarthBeat:   Climate change, crowds prompt maintenance on Michelangelo's 'Last Judgment' by Justin McLellan Visitors often reach the Sistine Chapel overheated after walking through non-air-conditioned galleries. Combined with rising temperatures those conditions have led to more sweat in the sacred space. Read more here »   Vietnamese sisters grow organic mushrooms to serve community and fund scholarships by Joachim Pham They use no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Waste is reused. Damaged mushrooms are dried and ground into seasoning powder. Read more here »   Vatican theological commission warns of replacing God with 'a world governed by machines' by Courtney Mares, OSV News The Vatican's International Theological Commission has warned that if humanity places total trust in technology in a "world ruled by machines," it risks replacing the "living God" with a counterfeit "virtual God." Read more here »   In these hopeless times, hope is a gift and a choice by Daniel P. Horan "Christian hope is nothing like optimism or the unfounded conviction that 'everything will work out fine,' " writes Daniel P. Horan. Read more here » What's happening in other climate news: The sea is higher than we thought and millions more are at risk, study finds —Seth Borenstein and Annika Hammerschlag for the Associated Press Oil, gasoline prices jump amid Iran strikes, with future uncertain —Rachel Frazin for The Hill Chart: US to overwhelmingly build clean power in 2026 —Julian Spector for Canary Media Trump's high-profile oil and gas lease sale in Alaska has no takers —Lisa Friedman for The New York Times After a lawsuit, USDA agrees to share climate risk data with farmers —Frida Garza for Grist Why electricity bills are so high — and how the blowback could hit Trump —Dan Gearino and Marianne Lavelle for Inside Climate News Dow asks Texas to legalize plastic pollution from its Seadrift complex —Dylan Baddour for Inside Climate News An Army Corps project could wipe out one of Florida's last thriving coral reefs —Nicolás Rivero for the Washington Post With only 3 women left, an Amazon tribe faced extinction. An unexpected birth now brings hope —Gabriela Sá Pessoa for the Associated Press Marsupials previously thought extinct for millennia discovered in New Guinea —Adam Morton for the Guardian Final Beat: Over the years, EarthBeat has reported several times on the stunning work of artist Angela Manno, who paints endangered animal and plant species in the style of sacred Byzantine iconography. That coverage has included several reviews and reflections on exhibits of the New York artist's captivating and thought-provoking images, which Manno said she's created to help foster an "ecological conversion" that's been championed by both Pope Leo XIV and Pope Francis. A 2019 United Nations report estimated 1 million species are believed to be in danger of extinction, mainly because of human activity such as climate change and deforestation. For those who haven't had the chance to see Manno's artwork in person, a new book offers a new opening to engage the animal icons at home, The Sacred Biodiversity Oracle. The boxed set includes 36 full-color reproductions of her sacred icons of threatened and endangered species along with a guidebook that includes references to integral ecology from Francis' encyclical "Laudato Si', on Care of Our Common Home" and theologians Leonardo Boff and Thomas Berry, among others. "The cards and guidebook are an extension of my art that allows more people to have access to it and to have a truly in-depth experience with the images and the creatures they represent, to foster awareness, compassion and action," Manno said in an email.  Starting next week, Manno's Sacred Biodiversity art series will be on display at the Moray Art Centre in Findhorn, Scotland. The series runs March 14-April 25, and will include several events, including an online discussion April 15 with Catholic theologian Elizabeth Johnson among the panelists. 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

SojoMail - Soul care for the weary

View this email in your browser By Betsy Shirley Editor in Chief, Sojourners This week, the Sojourners staff is gathering in Washington, D.C., to do something radical, subversive, and decidedly countercultural: close our laptops and take a retreat. In our day-to-day work, we regularly publish articles that remind us rest is holy resistance, not a "reward for the productive." We know Jesus himself made time to rest, pray, withdraw, and share meals with his friends. Or as one Sojourners author put it: “If there is an idealized activist mold of constant productivity, Jesus did not fit.” Still, I bet we’re not the only ones who find that easier said than done, especially when so many worthy things cry out for our attention. But we try to practice what we preach here at Sojourners. So instead of bringing you new content, we’re prescheduling this message and sharing some oldies-but-goodies from our archives on the topic of rest and sabbath. Taking time to rest can be a privilege, not accessible to everyone—an economic reality we want to change. Meanwhile, if rest feels elusive, try this: Put your feet firmly on the floor. Relax your shoulders. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Exhale slowly. Maybe repeat a restful Bible verse like Psalm 46:10 (“Be still and know that I am God”). When you open your eyes, know that you are deeply loved, just as you are—regardless of what you have achieved (or not) today. We hope you’ll carry that spark with you into the weekend, and we’ll see you here again next week. Soul Care for Weary Activists (by Edgar Rivera Colón) So much of what passes for self-care is commodified. Here’s what we need instead. Read the full article Advertisement Our Latest Stories How a Week With Benedictine Sisters Made Me a Better Radical (by Hannah Keziah Agustin) Amid news of wildfires, landslides, and war, I learned that God is the one who finishes the good work of justice. Read more What Do We Want? Justice! What Have We Got? Burnout! (by Liz Cooledge Jenkins) Dorcas Cheng-Tozun and Trish O’Kane offer practical ways to advocate for change without depleting our souls in the process. Read more Why Faith Activists Need Embodied Joy (by José Humphreys III) The surprising power of a two-step and a twirl. Read more Rest Is Resistance, Too (by Jeania Ree V. Moore) Sleep deprivation is a racial and social justice issue of white supremacy and capitalism. Read more Advertisements How do we build pathways out of poverty? While charity can address urgent needs, lasting change takes investment. Acumen is more than a nonprofit. It’s a network of bold entrepreneurs, trusted donors, and emerging leaders who are solving problems where others won’t. Follow the journey of a dollar with Acumen. Seeking Simplicity, Connection, and Repair in a Broken World Feeling burnt out? Light for the Way brings together 50 years of wisdom on how contemplation, rest, and community fuel justice work. With voices like Wendell Berry, Kathleen Norris, Joan Chittister, and Daniel Berrigan, this is your guide to reclaiming spiritual practices during difficult times. Donate Subscribe Unsubscribe or update email preferences Copyright © 2026 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842