WCC NEWS: World Health Assembly side event focuses on bridging the antimicrobial resistance divide

A side event to the World Health Assembly organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and ReAct Africa on 20 May explored the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) divide, as well as equity, access, and community-led solutions. 20 May 2026, Side Event to the World Health Assembly: Bridging the AMR Divide — Equity, Access, and Community-Led Solutions. Photo: Grégoire de Fombelle/WCC 21 May 2026 Prof. Mirfin Mpundu, executive director and founder of ReAct, offered a keynote on “The unequal burden of AMR-access gaps and structural drivers.” Mpundu said it was key to focus on provision of clean water and sanitation. “A lack of clean water and safe water also affects health systems,” he said, offering several examples. “Menstrual health restrictions reduce hygiene access, raising infection risk.” Dr Sherin Paul, monitoring and evaluation manager at ReAct Africa, moderated a high-level dialogue with panelists who represent faith-based and health organizations from across the world.  “The aim of this discussion is not necessarily to arrive at the definitive answers, but to at least dive through various aspects that are pertinent to the access and equity aspects,” she explained. “As we all know, there are many things that are happening at the global level, but the communities on the ground who are actually bearing the brunt of things—they may not really see any tangible results on the ground, or they may not be able to experience them.” Paul also noted that faith-based organizations cover 40 to 60 percent of healthcare delivery in sub-Saharan Africa. Speakers also offered examples of community-led solutions. In closing remarks, Tracie Muraya, deputy director of ReAct Africa, summarized the key takeaways from the session.  “The churches, the communities are trusted, and that word keeps coming up—trust,” she said. “We would literally then look at empowering individuals who comprise our communities.” Muraya addressed interpretable artificial intelligence, as well as engagement from youth and Indigenous persons, as key takeaways from the dialogue. Rev. Dr Stavros Kofinas, moderator of the WCC Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing, closed the session by expressing appreciation for the opportunity to learn about the concerns regarding antimicrobial resistance. “I want, firstly, to reassure that you are not alone in your struggles, and efforts in presenting to the world the inequalities that are taking place regarding the distribution of medicines, and regarding the development of proper medical services, that's taking place, not only in Africa, but globally,” he said. “Our commission is composed with many members who come from the areas where injustice prevails.” Kofinas added that the commission continues to seek ways that churches can assist in combating inequality. “Unequal distribution of antibiotics and other medicines, together with the commercializing of healthcare, has tragic consequences across populations, countries, and healthcare systems,” he concluded. Photo gallery WCC will participate in 79th World Health Assembly WCC shares input at two gatherings for exploring equitable global health Side event to 79th World Health Assembly explores “Economics of Health For All—Taking 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

WCC news: Ecumenical officers share perspectives on peacebuilding in a world marked by conflicts

The first of a series of drop-in thematic online sessions of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Officers Network was held on 20 May and focused on the role of the churches in peacebuilding.  Photo: Teresiah Njoki/WCC 21 May 2026 Ecumenical officers are designated WCC member church officials appointed to encourage, assist, and resource Christian unity. They work to build relationships, organize joint community initiatives, and foster theological dialogue between different Christian denominations.   Carla Khijoyan, WCC programme executive for Peacebuilding in the Middle East, was invited to open the conversation with an overview of the situation of the conflict in the Holy Land. "Our churches are present in all of the countries, while having their headquarters in one place. This puts our churches in a very difficult situation because sometimes these countries are in war,” she said.  Nordic Baltic regional challenges Dr Jonas Adelin Jørgensen, academic secretary at the Council on International Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, discussed the challenges facing the Nordic Baltic region, including hybrid warfare, geopolitical changes, and a cost-of-living crisis. "Mental health crisis among young people and changes in religious life are leading to discussions among Nordic churches about collaborative efforts to address these issues, including a proposed joint Nordic project to build capacity in countering misinformation, polarization, and attempts at political domination,” he said. Global church solidarity and polarization Bishop Dale Bowers, from the Diocese of St Helena, Anglican Church of Southern Africa, raised concerns about polarization spreading worldwide and asked how churches can effectively address and combat polarization. His concerns were shared by Miriam Weibye, church relations officer at the Scottish Episcopal Church. She shared about an upcoming joint project between the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of Scotland titled “Christian Responsibility in an Age of Extremism.” "We've been reflecting on how we respond when Christian symbols are being used to justify hateful rhetoric,” she said.  The online encounter also included an overview of the upcoming International Ecumenical Peace Convocation “World Peace and the Korean Peninsula: The Church as a Community of Healing, Reconciliation, and Peacebuilding,” organized by the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) in collaboration with the Christian Conference of Asia and the WCC, presented by Rev. Minji Kim, NCCK program coordinator of the Peace, Reconciliation, and Reunification Committee, who also closed the meeting with a prayer for peace in regions affected by conflict. Dr Marcelo Schneider, WCC programme executive for church and ecumenical relations and communication, expressed hope that these sessions will create spaces where ecumenical officers can "listen to one another, reflect together, and share experiences around issues that deeply affect the life and witness of our churches worldwide.” The next drop-in session of the Ecumenical Officers Network is scheduled for 8 July.  More information and contact details of the WCC's Church and Ecumenical Relations area 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

Daily Lectionary Readings for May 22, 2026

Daily Lectionary Readings (Two-Year Cycle)

Lectionary Readings for Friday, May 22, 2026

Morning Psalm 96 1   O sing to the LORD a new song;           sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2   Sing to the LORD, bless his name;           tell of his salvation from day to day. 3   Declare his glory among the nations,           his marvelous works among all the peoples. 4   For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;           he is to be revered above all gods. 5   For all the gods of the peoples are idols,           but the LORD made the heavens. 6   Honor and majesty are before him;           strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7   Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,           ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. 8   Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;           bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9   Worship the LORD in holy splendor;           tremble before him, all the earth. 10  Say among the nations, “The LORD is king!           The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.           He will judge the peoples with equity.” 11  Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;           let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12       let the field exult, and everything in it.      Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13       before the LORD; for he is coming,           for he is coming to judge the earth.      He will judge the world with righteousness,           and the peoples with his truth. Morning Psalm 148 1   Praise the Lord!      Praise the Lord from the heavens;           praise him in the heights! 2   Praise him, all his angels;           praise him, all his host! 3   Praise him, sun and moon;           praise him, all you shining stars! 4   Praise him, you highest heavens,           and you waters above the heavens! 5   Let them praise the name of the Lord,           for he commanded and they were created. 6   He established them forever and ever;           he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. 7   Praise the Lord from the earth,           you sea monsters and all deeps, 8   fire and hail, snow and frost,           stormy wind fulfilling his command! 9   Mountains and all hills,           fruit trees and all cedars! 10  Wild animals and all cattle,           creeping things and flying birds! 11  Kings of the earth and all peoples,           princes and all rulers of the earth! 12  Young men and women alike,           old and young together! 13  Let them praise the name of the Lord,           for his name alone is exalted;           his glory is above earth and heaven. 14  He has raised up a horn for his people,           praise for all his faithful,           for the people of Israel who are close to him.      Praise the Lord! First Reading Jeremiah 31:27-34 27The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. 28And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. 29In those days they shall no longer say: "The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." 30But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge. 31The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt - a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. Second Reading Ephesians 5:1-32 1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. 4Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. 5Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be associated with them. 8For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light - 9for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. 10Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." 15Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, 27so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind - yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. 28In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30because we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. Gospel Reading Matthew 9:9-17 9As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. 10And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 12But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." 14Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?" 15And Jesus said to them, "The wedding guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak, for the patch pulls away from the cloak, and a worse tear is made. 17Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; otherwise, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved." Evening Psalm 49 1   Hear this, all you peoples;           give ear, all inhabitants of the world, 2   both low and high,           rich and poor together. 3   My mouth shall speak wisdom;           the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. 4   I will incline my ear to a proverb;           I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp. 5   Why should I fear in times of trouble,           when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me, 6   those who trust in their wealth           and boast of the abundance of their riches? 7   Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life,           there is no price one can give to God for it. 8   For the ransom of life is costly,           and can never suffice, 9   that one should live on forever           and never see the grave. 10   When we look at the wise, they die;           fool and dolt perish together           and leave their wealth to others. 11   Their graves are their homes forever,           their dwelling places to all generations,           though they named lands their own. 12  Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;           they are like the animals that perish. 13  Such is the fate of the foolhardy,           the end of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah 14  Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;           Death shall be their shepherd;      straight to the grave they descend,           and their form shall waste away;           Sheol shall be their home. 15  But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,           for he will receive me. Selah 16  Do not be afraid when some become rich,           when the wealth of their houses increases. 17  For when they die they will carry nothing away;           their wealth will not go down after them. 18  Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy           — for you are praised when you do well for yourself — 19  they will go to the company of their ancestors,           who will never again see the light. 20  Mortals cannot abide in their pomp;           they are like the animals that perish. Evening Psalm 138 1   I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;           before the gods I sing your praise; 2   I bow down toward your holy temple           and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;           for you have exalted your name and your word           above everything. 3   On the day I called, you answered me,           you increased my strength of soul. 4   All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD,           for they have heard the words of your mouth. 5   They shall sing of the ways of the LORD,           for great is the glory of the LORD. 6   For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly;           but the haughty he perceives from far away. 7   Though I walk in the midst of trouble,           you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;      you stretch out your hand,           and your right hand delivers me. 8   The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;           your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.           Do not forsake the work of your hands.

The Lectionary is now available in Español 한국어

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202

WCC news: WCC strongly condemns treatment of activists detained by Israeli authorities

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay strongly condemned the reported humiliation, manhandling, and degrading treatment of activists detained by Israeli authorities following the interception of the Gaza-bound flotilla. Fishing boats at sunrise in the Gaza City harbor in 2011. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 22 May 2026 “Such treatment of civilians and peace activists constitutes a serious violation of human dignity and of international human rights and humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention,” Pillay said. “No security consideration can justify abuse.” Pillay demanded the immediate release of all detained activists and called for an independent investigation and full accountability for all reported violations. “We also acknowledge the principled actions taken by several governments to formally express their condemnation of these acts and their concern over the continued violations of international law by the State of Israel,” he said. “The dehumanizing rhetoric and actions promoted by certain Israeli political and settler actors continue to fuel violence, hatred, and impunity.” Humanitarian solidarity and peaceful civic action must never be criminalized, Pillay urged. “As churches committed to justice and peace, we affirm the God-given dignity of every human being,” he concluded.  Read the full statement 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