WCC NEWS: Webinar highlights the role of women in post-COVID-19 cooperation

A panel of Jewish, Buddhist and Christian women reflected on the role of women in promoting interreligious cooperation in a webinar entitled “Women and Interfaith Engagement: sharing lessons learnt during COVID-19 and beyond.” African meditation on women weeping at the cross, gift by the churches in Congo, Ecumenical centre, Geneva, Switzerland, Photo: Nikos Kosmidis/WCC 11 February 2021 In his opening remarks, WCC programme coordinator for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation, Rev. Dr Peniel Rajkumar, shared hopes that the discussion would highlight “how women, through their interreligious engagement, have been agents of hope, hospitality and healing” in a world struggling with COVID-19, as well as “many other pandemics.” Dr Gaya Gamhewage, head of Learning and Capacity Development for the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Programme  highlighted how women’s disadvantaged position in society has enabled them “to see things from a different perspective, to embrace vulnerability, to have humility, to have discipline, but also to really ache and hurt while others are in pain.” Rev. Dr Elina Hellqvist, interim director of the ELCF’s Office for Global Mission, noted that in the Finnish context where interfaith dialogue is relatively new, "we see more women involved in interfaith dialogue than in many other parts of the church life.” While women’s “practical attitude to everyday life” can be seen as a strength, it can also distract attention from “the big discussions” about faith values and principles, she added. Dr Debbie Weissman, former president of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ), highlighted how the marginalization of women “in our own cultures and faith communities,” may have helped them develop “a certain kind of empathy or identification with others who are similarly marginalized,” resulting in the development of “a special kind of resilience.” This online encounter was jointly organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC), Lutheran World Federation, and Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and moderated by Rev Dr Sivin Kit, Programme Executive for Public Theology and Interreligious Relations  of the Lutheran World Federation.   Watch the webinar "Women's voices for interfaith engagement", news release, 9 February 2021, Lutheran World Federation 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 350 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 interim general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland