WCC NEWS: Ecological theology, eco-justice addressed by theologians in WCC co-hosted conference

Co-hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Ecumenical and Francophone Seminar on the Theology of Ecology (SOFTE), the conference held on 5-8 July in Geneva, Switzerland, reflected on an ecumenical theology of ecology and care for creation that promotes a visible unity of Christian churches. WCC-SOFTE conference participants. Photo: WCC 12 July 2022 “The main goal of this joint conference between SOFTE and WCC is to deepen theological dialogue, exchange and ecumenical reflection in the field of ecological theology and eco-justice,” said Dr Prof. Fabien Frevol, chair of SOFTE and professor of theology at the Catholic University of Lyon. Roman Catholic, reformed and Orthodox theologians meet face-to-face for the first time at the ecumenical center to reflect on the theme “Theology of body and the Incarnation.”  WCC deputy general secretary Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri praised the francophone theologians of SOFTE for choosing the WCC as an ecumenical space to do theology of ecology. She noted that the theme of SOFTE 2022 can be linked with the upcoming WCC 11th assembly theme: “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.”  “In a few months, the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany will invite the churches within our fellowship to respond to Christ’s prayer “that they may become completely one” (John 17:23), calling one another to visible unity for the sake of the world that God loves and for the sake of the creation. The body of Christ is the Christian church. The incarnation of the body of Christ in the church and the creation is the ultimate act of the love of God for the salvation of the whole creation,” said Phiri.   The SOFTE-WCC conference allowed participants to deepen dialogue to find solutions to the alarming results of ecological sins that strike the climate and the whole creation. “We need to revive the concept of ecological sins as the non-respect of the limits that God have set in the natural world, including human greed,” said Dr Louk Andrianos, WCC consultant on Care for Creation, Sustainability and Climate Justice. He remembered that the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was the first spiritual leader who urged all Christians to mind about ecological sins. The conference was financed by the “Mission intérieure” of the Swiss Catholic Church and welcomed participants who followed online from across the world. 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 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting 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