WCC NEWS: Regional general secretaries meet to collaborate for justice, peace, and reconciliation

The leaders of regional ecumenical organizations met on 19-20 April at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey to consult and collaborate with each other and with the World Council of Churches (WCC). General secretaries of the regional ecumenical organizations met on 19-20 April at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey in Switzerland with the WCC leadership and staff. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 21 April 2023 The meeting, held annually, recognizes a shared experience of conciliar ecumenism and the poly-centric nature of the one ecumenical movement. The WCC and many regional ecumenical organizations had or will have assemblies in 2022 and 2023, making the meeting a unique moment to strengthen cooperation for justice, peace, human dignity, reconciliation, and unity.   Following the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, the WCC has a particular interest in consulting with regional general secretaries on the strategic directions for engaging the fellowship of member churches and ecumenical partners on a common pilgrimage of justice, reconciliation, and unity. Participants in the meeting came away with a greater understanding of the common and unique challenges facing the churches in the different regions. They also fostered cooperation on specific programmes and contributed to the post-assembly reflection and strategic planning process.   Key questions included: “How do we understand ecumenism today?” and “What are we called to do and how are we called to lead?” Photo gallery of the regional ecumenical organizations meeting in Bossey 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 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 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland