WCC News: On BBC Sunday show, WCC highlights "Hope for Children Through Climate Justice”

Appearing on BBC One’s “Sunday Morning Live” TV show on 30 March, World Council of Churches senior programme lead for Children and Climate Frederique Seidel highlighted the WCC’s new resource, “Hope for Children Through Climate Justice: Legal Tools to Hold Financiers Accountable.”  Frederique Seidel, WCC senior programme lead for Children and Climate shared about the WCC’s new resource on the legal tools for climate justice at the “Sunday Morning Live” TV show on BBC One on 30 March 2025. Photo: Screenshot from Sunday Morning Live program 01 April 2025 The publication provides churches and communities essential legal tools designed to hold financial actors accountable for their role in perpetuating the climate crisis. On BBC, Seidel noted that it was children—in fact children from the UK—who urged churches to get more involved in climate justice, referencing the report “Burning Down the House” by Tearfund and Youthscape, which gave new insights into how teenagers see the climate, the church, and their faith. “It is through prayer that this handbook was born,” added Seidel, noting that the new resource from WCC is the fruit of a spiritual journey.  “In the UK, an artist has come up, within two days, with a way to translate a poem from the handbook into a song,” she said. “For me, that’s the evidence that the Holy Spirit is moving with us on this journey.” The BBC episode explored the question: Should people of faith do more to tackle climate change? In addition to Seidel, Rev. David Peterson, an Anglican priest shared his views on the issue. WCC member churches and partners are warmly encouraged to join the online training on the tools for climate litigation, planned in the coming months. The first of the training sessions will take place on 15 April at 2 pm CET, and will be followed by other sessions accommodating participants from different time zones. Register for the online training on 15 April here. Churches and partners who would like to join this project are invited to send a note to churchesforchildren@wcc-coe.org. BBC One “Sunday Morning Live” episode of 30 March 2025 Publication "Hope for Children Through Climate Justice: Legal Tools to Hold Financiers Accountable" Overview with highlights from the new resource (4-page flyer) WCC publishes resource on legal tools for climate justice (WCC news story, 24 March 2025) Online Training on the legal tools for climate justice “Hope for Children” Learn more about Churches’ Commitments to Children and Climate-Responsible Banking 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 Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland