WCC NEWS: WCC calls for end to violence in Jerusalem, prays for victims of violence

World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca urgently called for an end to violence in Jerusalem, after on 14 August eight people were wounded in a shooting attack targeting a bus. Palestinian boy plays in the rubble, after part of his family home has been demolished in the Shu’fat village in Jerusalem, February 2020. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 15 August 2022 “We condemn these attacks against innocent people,” Sauca said. “People moving about in public spaces should not fear for their lives.” The perpetrator, according to police reports, was armed with weapons who shot at a bus and vehicles in a parking lot near the Old City of Jerusalem. The shooting came after hostilities in Gaza last weekend left dozens of Palestinians dead. Among them 16 children. Sauca previously called for an immediate cessation of hostilities between the Israeli military and militants in Gaza. WCC condemns escalation of violence in Gaza (WCC press release, 07 August 2022) 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