WCC NEWS: Webinar addresses human rights and health equity

A webinar on 7 July explored “Human Rights and Health Equity: Addressing Stigma and Neglect Faced by Vulnerable Populations.” Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC 10 July 2026 The dialogue was held in conjunction with the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council, which runs from 15 June–7 July. The webinar was co-organized by the World Council of Churches, with the NGO Committee on the Status of Women Geneva Working Group on Health, Medical Women’s International Association, International Cancer Expert Corps, Oxford University, World Federation for Mental Health, and United Voices for Global Impact. Keynote speaker Nicoletta Dentico is an Italian journalist, writer, and senior policy analyst in global health, known for her leadership on global health justice, equitable access to medicines, and civil society engagement in WHO and wider global health governance.  She spoke about how health inequity exists everywhere—even in places where there is a specific mandate to treat patients as people. “Indeed, this arena of discourse is crucial,” she said. “We are indeed in a crisis of care moment, notwithstanding the many, clear lessons of COVID-19”—a shared trauma.  “The most important lesson is that we are all vulnerable,” she said, adding that it is important to recognize when religious are playing a very negative role in the context of health inequity.  Dr Manjit Dosanjh, a scientist and visiting professor of physics at the University of Oxford, moderated the conversation. She said: “Disparities are growing. The ‘have-nots’ are having less and less. We need to actually own the problems and bring in people who live the issues at the grassroots globally and listen to them since those who  live the challenges not only need to be part of the solution, they actually  are best placed to find the solution. We need to leverage the so called ‘technology revolution’ to bridge the gap and not increase the inequities.” Dr Eleanor Ann Nwadinobi, a Nigerian medical doctor and international expert in health, gender, and human rights, spoke of the factors that amplify vulnerability, including climate change, gender, and many more. “There is a multiplicity of vulnerability, or layers of vulnerability,” she said, noting, for example, in some societies widows can be vulnerable on many levels. “They lose their spouse and, at the same time, lose their social status, lose their property, sometimes lose their children.” On account of polygamy, in certain parts of Africa, the death of one man may result in multiple  widows. “What does this mean?” asked Nwadinobi. “You have child widows.” Gracia Violeta Ross, WCC programme executive for HIV, Reproductive Health, and Pandemics, spoke about combatting stigma. “Stigma is a mark that signals we are not desirable,” she said. “It used to be religious.” She noted that stigma, unfortunately, does not come alone but leads to discrimination and other forms of inequity.  Dr Gisela Hansen, a clinical psychologist and university professor specializing in addictions, gender, stigma, and mental health, spoke of how health inequity is rooted in a broader structural system.  “These experiences are not secondary issues at all,” she said. “Today we know what works. We need to listen to the communities. Communities have the expertise.” Dr Manoj Kurian, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing, expressed appreciation for the many connections discerned during the conversation. “If we are one body, and one hand is in water, and one hand in fire, can we say we are, on average, fine?” Kurian asked. “We can’t, because there is no averages, actually. We have to be one and in solidarity with each other.” 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: Church aids relief efforts after deadly Venezuela quakes

Churches aid ongoing relief efforts after deadly twin Venezuela quakes   EarthBeat Weekly Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change July 10, 2026   A priest gives a blessing as he stands amid rubble at the site of a collapsed building in La Guaira, Venezuela, July 1, 2026, in the aftermath of earthquakes. (OSV News/Reuters/Adriano Machado) Relief efforts continue more than two weeks after two major earthquakes rocked Venezuela.  As of Thursday, at least 3,500 were killed from the 7.2 and 7.5 quakes, which took place just 39 seconds apart June 24 in the northern part of the South American country. Among the organizations working to provide aid and assistance to some of the estimated 7.9 million people in need are Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Venezuela, both part of Caritas Internationalis— the universal Catholic Church's global humanitarian network. CRS has deployed an earthquake response support team, which so far has handed out more than 1,800 emergency food kits, 850 family hygiene kits and 400 baby hygiene kits and sent more than 1,600 tarpaulins for shelters, Brittany Wichtendahl, a CRS spokesperson, told OSV News. In addition, Caritas Venezuela has supplied 5,000 emergency food kits, 3,000 hygiene kits, more than 120,000 liters of safe water and more than 73,000 medical supplies and medicine, as well as nearly 900 tools to assist search and rescue teams as they dig through rubble and debris.  Read more: Catholic leaders, aid workers respond to Venezuela earthquakes Pope Leo XIV, who ministered for more than two decades in neighboring Peru, offered prayers soon after the quakes struck.  "Praying to the Lord for the eternal rest of the deceased, I renew my spiritual solidarity with their families, the injured, and all who have been shaken by this tragedy," Leo said after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square on June 28. "I also wish to express my gratitude and encouragement to those generously working on search and rescue efforts and providing assistance." Read more: Pope Leo XIV calls for solidarity, prayers after deadly Venezuela quakes In many parts of Venezuela, faith leaders who are themselves impacted by the disaster have become its first responders, reports Aleja Hertzler-McCain for Religion News Service.  That includes Presbyterian pastor Ricardo Corzo Moreno, who in the immediate aftermath was doing two jobs at once: calming his family through the aftershocks and helping launch a 24-hour prayer and collection center for survivors. Corzo Moreno is among those coordinating faith groups in Venezuela to provide spiritual support along with emergency response and humanitarian aid.  "Not even in my worst nightmares did I imagine a situation as apocalyptic as the current one," he told Hertzler-McCain.  Read more: Reeling from Venezuela's earthquakes, churches rush to inspect buildings, distribute supplies In an essay for Global Sisters Report, María Maura Aranguren, a Sister of our Lady of Consolation, writes that the earthquakes have again shaken her country and plunged its people  into deep grief.  "The question continues to echo: Where is God? Did God want this to happen? No. God does not want his children to suffer. Yet God is present in the midst of this pain, offering signs of light and hope in every child, father, mother and older adult pulled from the rubble,"  Aranguren writes. "God is present in every volunteer who has left everything behind to search for survivors; in every sister, brother and priest who has gone to the disaster areas to bring comfort and compassion; in every Venezuelan determined to clear away debris with little more than bare hands; in every person using social media to share information; and in every group gathered in prayer, asking God to bring comfort and keep our faith strong." Read more: After 2 earthquakes, nuns do their part in Venezuelans' compassionate response What else is new on EarthBeat:   Why are sisters more engaged in environmental activism than other church leaders? by Sabrina Danielsen, Ellie Simmons In the face of decades of papal teachings about the reality and urgency of climate change, U.S. sisters have been leaders on environmental action. In contrast, U.S. bishops have largely not been creation care leaders. Read more here »   Bishops plan Mass on pilgrimage mountain Trump administration seeks to seize by Gina Christian, OSV News As the Trump administration moves to seize a diocesan pilgrimage site for the border wall, bishops from New Mexico and Texas are calling on the faithful to join them for Mass on the mountain. Read more here »   As plastic chokes Vietnam's seas, people of faith cast their nets for hope by Joachim Pham Vietnam is among the five largest contributors to marine plastic pollution globally. For local fishing communities, the consequences are becoming impossible to ignore. Every trip brings encounters with floating debris. Read more here »   Renewable energy investments are a moral and economic imperative by Bridget Moix, Religion News Service Ordinary families are being asked to carry the costs of an energy system that enriches a few while leaving communities everywhere vulnerable to conflict, instability and rising prices.  Read more here » What's happening in other climate news: Without climate change, U.S. heat wave called 'virtually impossible' —Raymond Zhong for The New York Times After bold pledge, EPA shelves microplastics testing in U.S. drinking water —Susanne Rust for the Los Angeles Times US power use to beat record highs in 2026 and 2027 as AI use surges, EIA says —Scott Disavino for Reuters Native American tribes came together to secure their rights to Colorado River water. Four states are stalling the deal. —Mark Olalde for ProPublica and Alex Hager for KJZZ News-Phoenix The 'time-consuming' permits dozens of data centers are skipping —Miranda Willson for E&E News What most battleground House districts have in common: Data centers —Catherine Allen and Noah Baustin for Politico Specialty farmers adapt harvests, protect crops in face of extreme heat —Joshua A. Bickel for the Associated Press Washington records world's worst air quality for a city after 850,000 Fourth of July fireworks —Dharna Noor for the Guardian There's a bit of good news for coral reefs —Katharine Houreld for The New York Times Final Beat: In the last EartBeat Weekly, there was a link to a story about recent awards National Catholic Reporter and Global Sisters Report received from the Catholic Media Association. Environmental coverage was well represented.  Our reporting on the COP30 United Nations climate summit received first place for international news, with freelancer Eduardo Campos Lima reporting from the ground in Belém, Brazil, GSR Africa/Middle East correspondent providing coverage from Kenya and I provided backup from Kansas City. My reporting on the second Trump administration's attacks on environmental and climate policies took first place in reporting on social justice issues related to caring for God's creation.  EarthBeat Weekly also earned first place for best electronic newsletter. Lastly, I was humbled to see a series of my environmental reports earn the top writer of the year honor for English-speaking journalists. You can revisit those stories below:  Bishop John Stowe urged Appalachia to heed the call of Laudato Si'. Here's how parishes are responding. Laudato Si' 101: University students boost energy efficiency at at Newark Archdiocese Catholic solar projects in peril as GOP slashes clean energy tax credits Faith groups blast 'evil' EPA rollback plans, 'climate change religion' comment Loyola Marymount environment conference caught in Trump's DEI crackdown As always, thanks for reading EarthBeat.   Brian Roewe Environment Correspondent National Catholic Reporter broewe@ncronline.org     Featured Advertisers   Become a Healer. Online, Flexible, Stackable. Apply your credits towards a Master’s in Ministry. NACC education collaborator.   Advertisement

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Truth and Action Roundup 7.10.2026

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. In a moment when violence and white supremacy feel disturbingly ordinary, the call to a stubborn, active hope is more urgent than ever. As the nation marked 250 years of existence, additional stories emerged, offering a clearer picture of the state of our union, one marked by state violence, racial injustice, and increasing threats to democracy. In Memphis, 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson was shot and killed Monday by Tennessee National Guard troops after allegedly pulling a gun. Johnson’s family, along with the Legal Defense Fund, is calling for transparency in the shooting. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, yet another person was shot and killed by the National Guard in Memphis, marking the fourth fatal shooting since May. Officials have released few details about this latest incident, deepening public concern and grief. Additionally, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed by ICE agents in Houston this week, with family demanding an independent investigation into his death. This is the 10th killing by ICE officials during President Donald Trump’s second term, underscoring a pattern of deadly force by federal immigration authorities, including shootings both during and outside immigration enforcement operations. In the nation’s capital, hundreds of white supremacists, wearing white masks, khakis, and Confederate symbols, moved through the city on public transportation. Images of them at Union Station, on the Metro, and Capitol Hill are a stark reminder that what once lurked beneath the surface now moves openly among us. This display is not incidental; it is intended to intimidate and to chill civic participation, especially as the nation approaches critical electoral moments. What, then, is the response of people of faith? How do we confront the violent, inhumane and immoral forces that threaten both our communities and our democracy? We must refuse to normalize what we are witnessing or to turn a blind eye. Those of us with privilege are called to speak and act on behalf of those pushed to the margins. As Luke 12:48 reminds us, “To whom much has been given, much will be required, and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” –Rev. Moya Harris, 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 1. In foreign affairs, there were significant developments in conflicts across West Asia and Eastern Europe. • Donald Trump declared that the ceasefire with Iran is 'over' after the U.S. launched strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz and revoked a temporary sanctions waiver allowing Tehran to export oil. The U.S. escalation reportedly followed Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels Tuesday. • Hamas announced that it had dissolved its government in Gaza and is preparing to transfer power to a technical committee backed by the United Nations as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal. The Trump-led Board of Peace said it would assess the announcement based on ‘actions, not promises’ and that the technical committee must control all weapons in Gaza. • In a shift, Trump praised President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine’s war effort Wednesday and appeared to grant Ukraine’s long-held request for the ability to produce U.S.-designed Patriot air-defense missiles on Ukrainian soil. Trump also praised Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign attacking targets deep inside Russia. 2. There was major news around candidacies and voting rights related to this November’s midterm elections. • Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, ended his candidacy after a former romantic partner accused him of raping her. Platner had faced a variety of other accusations throughout his candidacy, including racist, sexist, and homophobic Reddit posts, a tattoo resembling a widely recognized Nazi symbol, and allegations of abusive behavior in past relationships. • Speaker Johnson has a somewhat improbable plan to get the SAVE America Act — which could disenfranchise millions of voters — across the finish line. Instead of the SAVE America Act’s “stick” of mandatory voter registration requirements, Johnson’s approach would offer the “carrot” of grant dollars for voluntarily adopting the bill’s proof-of-citizenship requirement. There are many procedural and practical obstacles to Johnson getting this done. • State Sen. Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the race for U.S. Senate in Michigan, narrowing the field to establishment favorite Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official who has surged in popularity on the party’s left wing. State Sen. McMorrow did not give a reason for her departure. • Courts in Wisconsin and Georgia made decisions that protect voting rights and privacy. The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected an attempt by a conservative activist to obtain guardianship records to find ineligible voters. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Georgia ruled that the U.S. Justice Department cannot obtain the names and personal contact information of everyone who worked during the 2020 election in Fulton County. 3. The Trump administration’s cruel deportation regime was on full display, and the World Cup was the site of multiple racist incidents. • An upstate New York resident sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for sending federal officers to his house with a warning over an email he sent to the agency’s former acting director. In the email, David Streever called then-acting ICE director Todd Lyons a “monstrous human being” who “will never know peace.” This message prompted two ICE agents to appear at his front door and warn him that the email was considered a threat. • Prosecutors in France have opened an investigation into the racist attack on French star soccer player Kylian Mbappé by a Paraguayan senator, with officials weighing whether to bring charges of aggravated public insult or incitement to hatred and violence. The senator, Celeste Amarilla, posted a torrent of racist abuse against Mbappé on social media. • Sections of Egyptian and Cape Verdean fans have accused their Argentinian counterparts of racist and violent behavior during the last two matches played by the reigning champions. An Argentina supporter hurled racist abuse at social media influencer IShowSpeed, and Egyptian fans reported that Argentina supporters threw beer on them during the match. Take Action • We invite you to join us next Monday, July 13, for Poll Chaplain training to help protect our elections in November. Please say Sojourners sent you! • We also invite you to host or participate in a local Good Trouble Lives On event next weekend, July 17-19. Click here to find an event near you. What We’re Reading • But God Was Not in the Sonic Boom | Two years after a Fourth of July airshow, I can't hear a fighter jet without thinking of the prophet Elijah. (By Ethan Myers) • Faith Leaders Say End of TPS is a ‘Moral Failure,’ May Tear Families Apart | In the pair of rulings, Mullin v. Dahlia Doe and Trump v. Miot, the Supreme Court ruled that it could not reverse or review the administration’s fall 2025 terminations of TPS for Syrians and Haitians. (Bekah Stolhandske McNeel) Deep Breaths The Cost of Resilience By now, you have probably seen the photo taken by photographer Cheney Orr of the young woman sitting on the D.C. Metro train, surrounded by white supremacists on July 4th. Many have said it should be the photo of the year, comparing it to images from the Jim Crow era. Her face appears expressionless, her eyes fixed straight ahead, looking stoic in the face of modern-day Klansmen. I see something different in her face. I see the slight furrow in her brow. I see keen awareness. I imagine a tightness throughout her body, a rapid heartbeat just beneath the surface, and shallow breathing. Her pupils are likely dilated, trying to take in as much as possible while she appears aloof. Her whole body is on alert. I thank God that she was on that train with a photographer present. Only the Lord knows what could have happened if she had been completely alone. I see this because this easily could have been me on that Metro car. I ride the Metro frequently, never knowing who will get on or off the train where I am seated. As a Black woman in America in 2026, I understand this reality all too well. We are expected to be strong, stoic, and resilient while facing rhetorical, psychological, spiritual, and physical violence. Resilience has a cost. You might ask, what is the cost of resilience? In a sermon preached by Philadelphia clergywoman Leslie D. Callahan, she speaks to the toll that resilience takes: the toll on the body and the soul when you face perpetual assaults of racism. When are Black women allowed to feel safe enough to be feminine, soft, and vulnerable? When are we seen as human and not simply as a symbol of a movement or a moment? What does it do to Black women to always be seen as strong and tough, to be expected to carry elections, movements, families, and communities? Young girls treated as grown women, women cast as taskmasters, older women still carrying family and community into old age. From chattel slavery onward, Black women’s bodies have been experimented upon to advance gynecological practice, often through great pain and suffering. This is what I see when I look at this picture. I see her humanity trying to hold on… one. more. time. She is not a superhero. She is human. So where is the hope in this moment, you might ask. I am hopeful that this woman lived to see another day. I am grateful that she is being seen, even though many have looked past her humanity. I am hopeful that the photographer stopped and documented this moment. Perhaps this picture will compel others to act, to interrupt this chapter in history where our very existence is on the line, where the federal government is content to let white supremacists walk freely in plain sight during the nation’s 250th anniversary. I am hopeful because God sent Jesus to persist in the face of injustice and oppression all those years ago. I am grateful that Jesus understands what it feels like to be alone in a crowd with his life on the line. We have a savior who knows that being on the right side of justice matters more than silver and gold. I am grateful for people who follow this same Jesus, who believe that the moral arc of the universe bends toward justice and that, in the end, love wins. Our job now is to see those whom society has dehumanized, those who have been pushed aside, and to care enough to stop and intervene when possible. Our job as people of faith is to do more than pray for change; it is to be the change in our communities and in our world. That change includes showing up to vote in the midterm elections and protecting the votes of Black and Brown people whose voices are so often targeted and silenced. It means refusing to let intimidation, disinformation, or fatigue keep us from the polls, and instead committing ourselves to the slow, steady work of safeguarding democracy, one ballot, one neighbor, one ride to the polling place at a time. If you feel called to deeper engagement, I invite you to use the “Take Action” section above to sign up as a poll chaplain in your community. Poll chaplains offer a faithful, calming presence at the polls, accompany voters who may feel unsafe, and help ensure that Black and Brown voters can cast their ballots with dignity and without interference. Your presence could be the difference between someone giving up in fear and someone stepping forward in hope to make their voice heard. ––Rev. Moya Harris, Senior Director of Programs 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