For Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, WCC general secretary, what is at stake goes to the heart of the churches' calling: "This letter aligns directly with WCC's position on food systems and with the core mission of justice, stewardship of creation, and solidarity with the marginalised. The letter advocates for the preservation of biodiversity and the protection of local ecosystems against industrial (agro) monocultures. WCC views access to food not just as a commodity issue, but as a human right. By supporting the 'Right to Food' and the rights of peasants (as enshrined in UNDROP), the WCC upholds the biblical mandate to protect the vulnerable against systems that favour powerful commercial interests over human wellbeing." Dinesh Suna, WCC programme executive for Land, Water, and Food, framed the WCC's commitment in terms of solidarity: "As a global fellowship, many member churches of WCC are in the Global South, where peasant seed systems are the backbone of food security. WCC leadership signing this letter is an act of solidarity with these farming communities, protecting them from any harmful EU regulations." Addressed to EU rapporteur Herbert Dorfmann, European commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi, and ministers of Agriculture, the letter draws on binding international frameworks - the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Living in Rural Areas - to argue that seed access is not a commercial question but a human rights one. The coalition's four demands are concrete: allow farmers to exchange all plant reproductive material freely, without regional limits or monetary penalties; open registration pathways for traditional and locally developed varieties across all crop types; exempt small "nano-enterprises" from the heavy administrative requirements of Articles 41–42; and require transparency over breeding techniques and intellectual property rights to prevent the misappropriation of traditional seed knowledge. The organisations are particularly alert to what happens beyond EU borders. Seed diversity in the hands of farming communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America remains the backbone of food security for millions of people. As the letter notes, restricting that diversity does not simply affect harvests - food insecurity drives displacement and undermines peace. Protecting seed rights, the signatories argue, is an investment in stability. Other signatories include ACT Alliance EU (Action by Churches Together), Broederlijk Delen, Brot für die Welt, Caritas Europa, Caritas Africa, Caritas Mona, Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace Harare, the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council, CIDSE - International family of Catholic social justice organisations, the European Christian Environmental Network, HEKS/EPER - Swiss Church Aid, Misereor - German Catholic Bishops' Organisation for Development Cooperation, and Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. Full text of the joint letter Food for Life Campaign UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Living in Rural Areas (UNDROP) International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICECSR) | 
On the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, churches and communities across the world deepened their calls for...
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