WCC NEWS: New factsheet shows pressing challenges to Palestinian presence in Jerusalem

A new World Council of Churches (WCC) factsheet entitled “Jerusalem’s Old City: A Future in the Balance” details the pressing challenges facing the Old City’s Palestinian residents, advocates for a sustainable and just future where its unique cultural and religious identity can thrive, and provides options that can be pursued from a developmental perspective. Old City, Jerusalem. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 19 February 2026 “The Old City is a place of stark contrasts, where immense historical and spiritual wealth coexists with significant modern-day pressures,” explains the factsheet. “Understanding the facts on the ground is the first step toward principled engagement and a path forward.” The factsheet contains sections on “Demographics and Living Space,” “Property and Stewardship,” and “Housing and Infrastructure Crisis.” It also includes “A Path Forward: Recommendations for Principled Action.” The WCC recommends addressing the challenges facing Jerusalem’s Old City through a concerted effort from the international community, faith-based organizations, and civil society.  Specifically, the WCC recommends designating the Old City as a developmental and preservation priority. “Donor agencies, world governments, and international bodies must recognize the Old City not only as a holy site, but as a community in urgent need of sustainable development,” recommends the WCC. “This requires dedicated funding and programmatic focus.” The WCC also recommends advocating for removing economic restrictions. “The international community, including church leaders and government policymakers, should pressure the government of Israel to ease the economic restrictions on Palestinian businesses,” the factsheet concludes. “This includes facilitating access to finance, simplifying trade from the West Bank, and ensuring fair and equitable taxation.” The factsheet is a product of the work of the WCC Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel under the EU-sponsored project entitled “Maintaining a Lively Palestinian and Bedouin Presence in EAST Jerusalem Through Protective Presence, Monitoring, Documenting, and Advocacy.” Factsheet – Jerusalem’s Old City: A Future in the Balance WCC-EAPPI 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

Seven Weeks for Water 2026: Week 1 - Climate resilient communities in the context of WASH

Ecumenical Water Network

Seven Weeks for Water 2026 - Week 1: Climate resilient communities in the context of WASH LATIN AMERICA: RESILIENT COMMUNITIES RESISTING, ADAPTING AND RECOVERING FROM FACING WATER SCARCITY, LACK OF SANITATION, AND HYGIENE The first reflection of the Seven Weeks for Water 2026 is authored by Rev. Veronica Flachier, a Lutheran pastor who currently serves as president of the Ecumenical Human Rights Commission of Ecuador. She was cochair of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network and a member of the International Reference Group for 11 years. Today, she is a member of the WCC Just Community of Women and Men International Reference Group. In this reflection, the author contrasts the biblical vision of life in abundance in Revelation with the harsh reality of inequality and water scarcity facing marginalized communities in Latin America. Ultimately, this reflection serves as a call to action for faith communities to challenge the status quo and actively work toward justice, dignity, and equitable access to essential resources for everyone. 19 February 2026 Credit: ACT Alliance By Rev.Veronica Flachier   Texts Matthew 7:24-27 The Essence: Concluding the Sermon on the Mount, contrasts two builders: one wise, one foolish. The wise person hears and acts on Jesus' words, building their life on a rock-solid foundation that survives storms, while the foolish person hears but does not act, resulting in a disastrous collapse. It emphasizes obedience as the essential foundation of faith. Revelation 22: 1-2 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.   Reflection Latin America and the Caribbean remains the most unequal region on the planet, despite being the richest in natural resources. High income disparity, unfair access to opportunities, and insufficient attention to marginalized sectors are reflected in structural inequalities, limited access to safe water, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene. In a region where 72 million people lack adequate basic services, strengthening resilience is a critical challenge for public health and constitutes a major social debt. In this complex scenario, it should be highlighted that women living in the most marginalized communities in the region bear the heaviest burden. They are generally responsible for managing the precarious conditions of their homes, resulting from a lack of access to safe water and adequate sanitation infrastructure, which limits the progress and potential of their communities.  It is true that women living in these areas are highly resilient, continually adapting to and recovering from the effects of unprecedented climatic events. These women are often pushed to fill service gaps, even contributing to the construction of basic systems that are fragile but allow them to temporarily mitigate their hardships. However, despite these efforts, it remains difficult for them to achieve living conditions comparable to those in regions adequately served by the state, reinforcing structural disparities and undermining the dignity to which all people are entitled. Based on these observations and reflecting on the Gospel of Matthew, we are urged to be wise in seeking living conditions that allow us to be prepared to face any type of adverse climate scenario. We recognize that the most resilient communities are the poorest ones, those that receive the least attention from governments. This reality is not the plan of God for us. To be wise, under godly understanding, means that we are called to build safe spaces for all, that governments should be working not only for some but for every single person. God’s plans include all, with no one left behind, therefore, to do the opposite becomes a structural sin of our present times. The Gospels are much more than an account of the life, miracles, and signs of Jesus. The message they embody is the Messiah's clear call to challenge the status quo; they are a call for communitarian organization that seeks the common good of the most marginalized, just as Jesus did! As churches and faith-based communities, we have a great responsibility: we cannot be indifferent to the needs of the poorest and most marginalized. The radical nature of the Gospel is clear and challenges us to open pathways of equity where no such paths exist. In the times in which we are living, we are called to uphold the banner of freedom that breaks the chains of contemporary oppression and slavery as our flag and our seal. For it is through this that we will be brought closer to the saving project of God’s Kingdom. As a restorative vision, we are reminded of the fulfillment of God’s promise sent by the message of hope in Revelation. Here, it is said that the God of Life will show the fruit of his love and passion for us, pouring out his new mercy every day and bringing us closer, through Jesus, to the Kingdom of divine justice. In this passage, the angel of God is drawing a living painting with clean and pure waters flowing down, of leaves of trees healing us, and all of humanity being a part of the joyful celebration of genuine justice and peace.  In this hope, we are called to act on the vision in Revelation, here and now. Through justice, solidarity, and defense of life for the most marginalized, we as faith communities and institutions must come together to ensure that safe water, dignity, and justice is accessible across Latin America and the Caribbean.    Questions for Discussion Do you think that your church should discuss how to build resilient communities that are empowered to deal with the effects of climate change? What would you do to help improve access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in all areas of your city and country?   Practical ideas Organize communities to advocate for public policies in your country, with the aim of advocating for the construction of adequate sanitation infrastructure in marginalized areas. Train community leaders on how to build resilient communities that can adapt to climate change.   Resources  Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ Of The Holy Father Francis On Care For Our Common Home: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html El Paraíso – Nación Ekeko & Julieta Venega https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ5HmtDcgks Canción Ecológica: Cuidar La Tierra - Ecuador-Juan Morales Montero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgh4FGggsJ0   Rev. Veronica Flachier, a Lutheran pastor who currently serves as president of the Ecumenical Human Rights Commission of Ecuador. She was cochair of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network and a member of the International Reference Group for 11 years. Today, she is a member of the WCC Just Community of Women and Men International Reference Group. 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 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 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: Catholic sisters' quiet ministry to save girls in South Africa's coal belt

Catholic sisters' quiet ministry to save girls in South Africa's coal belt   EarthBeat Weekly Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change February 20, 2026   Steam comes from a coal-fired power station in Emalahleni, South Africa, Oct. 11, 2021. (AP/Themba Hadebe, file) In the South African coal mining city of Emalahleni, east of Johannesburg, extraction is not just an industry. It is the atmosphere people breathe and the ground they walk on. It is also where children and young girls are disappearing. Built at the heart of South Africa's coal belt, Emalahleni, whose name means "place of coal" in isiZulu, sits in Mpumalanga province, about 70 miles east of Johannesburg. For decades, coal and gold mines here powered the national economy and promised jobs, stability and development. They drew workers from across South Africa and neighboring countries, reshaping families, migration patterns and entire communities, reports Doreen Ajiambo, Africa and Middle East correspondent for Global Sisters Report. Now, as South Africa struggles to regulate thousands of abandoned and poorly rehabilitated mines, illegal mining networks have expanded into spaces the state has failed to govern, creating conditions where poverty, gender-based violence and child exploitation converge. Religious sisters working quietly in mining communities say they are seeing a rise in cases involving girls coerced into sexual relationships, early marriages and survival sex linked directly to illegal mining settlements. The abuses often go unreported and unpunished. Ajiambo traveled to Emalahleni to report this eye-opening story as part of Global Sisters Report's yearlong series, "Out of the Shadows: Confronting Violence Against Women," that focuses on the ways Catholic sisters are responding to this global phenomenon. As global demand for minerals accelerates — driven in part by the transition to green energy — Emalahleni has become a warning, Ajiambo reports. The same extraction that powers economies and climate ambitions is also deepening local harm. Mineral wealth continues to flow upward, while children and women absorb the cost. "We meet children after they have already been broken," said Holy Cross Sr. Sophia Phiri, who runs a registered community center serving vulnerable children. "By the time they reach us, abuse has already happened. Our work is to make sure it does not define the rest of their lives." Read more: In South Africa's coal belt, girls disappear — and Catholic sisters quietly pull them back What else is new on EarthBeat:   In Lenten reflection, US bishops call Catholics to ecological conversion and action by Brian Roewe "Indifference and distance from one another have led to devastating consequences for God's creation, including the poor. The conversion that we need is both metaphorical and physical," the prelates wrote. Read more here »   Pope Leo opens Lent with call for repentance from a world 'in flames' by Justin McLellan During his first Ash Wednesday as pope, Leo framed Lent as a communal reckoning with personal and structural sin. Read more here »   As Abrahamic faiths fast, let us consider food ethics by Shmuly Yanklowitz What is shared between three Abrahamic traditions — Islam, Christianity and Judaism — is the idea that food is never just simply food. Read more here »   Lent's CRS Rice Bowl collection seen as more critical than ever after USAID cuts by Kimberley Heatherington, OSV News By July 2025, the U.S. Agency for International Development — established in 1961, and which in 2024 provided $187 million in humanitarian funding to Ghana — effectively ceased to exist, with 85% of its programs cut. The result was that many in-country aid organizations also ceased operations. But not CRS. Read more here »   This Lent, give up calling yourself a machine by Scott Hurd "As people of faith, we have an opportunity to push back and offer a compelling vision of the complex and beautiful creatures that we are," writes Scott Hurd. "And it can start with how we refer to ourselves." Read more here »   Pope's grand tour of Italy over the next few months takes him to Lampedusa and beyond by Nicole Winfield, Associated Press The Vatican released Leo's agenda for day trips to a half-dozen Italian cities over the next six months. The Vatican has rarely released such plans together and so far in advance, but word of the visits was starting to filter out. Read more here »   Cuban bishops postpone 'ad limina' visit amid fuel shortage crisis by Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News Cuban bishops published a message Jan. 31 warning that the "elimination of all possibility of oil entering the country raises alarm bells, especially for the most vulnerable." Read more here » What's happening in other climate news: The quest to warn everyone on Earth about deadly weather —Rebecca Hersher, Ryan Kellman, Tat Odoum for NPR Trump climate health rollback likely to hit poor, minority areas hardest, experts say —Dorany Pineda and Seth Borenstein for the Associated Press Trump order aims to boost weedkiller targeted in health lawsuits —Hiroko Tabuchi and Sheryl Gay Stolberg for The New York Times Europe defies Trump team over IEA climate fight —Sara Schonhardt for E&E News Notoriously hazardous South L.A. oil wells finally plugged after decades of community pressure —Tony Briscoe for the Los Angeles Times DC mayor Bowser declares Potomac sewage spill an emergency, seeks federal aid for cleanup —Jenny Gathright and Dana Hedgpeth for the Washington Post What's behind your eye-popping power bill? We broke it down, region by region. —Naveena Sadasivam and Clayton Aldern for Grist What are the biggest climate polluters near you? —Karin Kirk for Yale Climate Connections Final Beat: As mentioned at the top of this edition of EarthBeat Weekly, the compelling story this week from Doreen Ajiambo was part of a yearlong series by Global Sisters Report, "Out of the Shadows: Confronting Violence Against Women."  Ajiambo provided insights into her reporting in South Africa's illegal mining zones in this Reporter's Notebook. In past articles, she has reported other environmental ties with violence against women, from sexual violence in the Congo conflict that stems partly from competition for its vast mineral resources, to women accused of witchcraft in Kenya an effort to seize their lands, to women  across Africa on the frontlines of climate change demanding action from world leaders. You can check out her other reporting, as well as all the tremendous journalism by the GSR staff on the Out of the Shadows feature page. As always, thanks for reading EarthBeat.   Brian Roewe Environment Correspondent National Catholic Reporter broewe@ncronline.org     Featured Advertisers   Learn more about graduate theological studies at Boston College - 100% of master’s students receive financial support.   Advertisement

GreenFaith - Welcome to three new circles!

As we continue into this new year with all of its challenges, I am excited to share that GreenFaith is continuing to grow across the country. I want to specifically highlight the launch of not one, not two, but THREE new Circles in my home location of New York City. Please join me in welcoming Forefront Church of Brooklyn, Fourth Universalist Society, and The Riverside Church to our GreenFaith network. We honor the amazing work each of these communities have already done through their existing environmental justice committees and look forward to growing together! Are you interested in starting a GreenFaith Circle in your own city? Read more and sign up here! Lastly, I want to share a cool New York experience I got to have recently: I spoke on Bronx cable TV about sacred activism! Check out this 30-minute interview where I talk about the connection between spirituality and social justice, how to re-enchant ourselves to the world, and my work with Brooklyn Center for Sacred Activism. That’s it for now. I know I can speak for the entire US Team when I say we look forward to connecting soon and continuing creating the beautiful world we know is possible. In faith and action, Rev. Chelsea MacMillan US GreenFaith Senior Organizer Building a Worldwide, Multi-faith Climate and Environmental Movement.    1216 Broadway Floor 2 PMB 1005 New York, NY 10001 +1-917-997-8783 Copyright © 2022 GreenFaith - All rights reserved.