WCC NEWS: WCC general secretary visits the Holy Land

World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay visits member churches and partners in Palestine and Israel this week, as part of ongoing accompaniment and efforts for justice and peace for all people in the region. View of Jerusalem. File Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 09 February 2026 During the week, general secretary Pillay will meet with Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, staff and ecumenical accompaniers at the WCC Jerusalem Liaison Office, as well as with a range of stakeholders and partners – to hear the concerns and the priorities of the local churches and communities, affirm the WCC’s continued accompaniment and to consolidate the council’s work for justice and peace.  The visit will also serve to lay groundwork for an upcoming WCC Executive Committee meeting, to be held in Bethlehem later in the spring of 2026.  Pillay last visited the Holy Land in person in February 2024, a visit that was in turn followed by a joint solidarity visit undertaken together with ACT Alliance and Caritas Internationalis, in August 2024 online.  Peacebuilding in the Middle East Church and Ecumenical Relations Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel 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 356 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