WCC news: WCC general secretary addresses Africa and African Diaspora Conference

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay addressed the Africa and African Diaspora Conference in Johannesburg on 27 October. Photo: AAD 27 October 2026 The conference serves as an independent, unifying platform dedicated to advancing African sovereignty, reparatory justice, and sustainable solidarity between Africa and its global diaspora. The 2026 theme of the gathering, underway from 26-30 October, is “The Return to Africa.”  The assembly provides an intentional space for dialogue, strategic policy formation, and community-led action. Pillay’s keynote speech focused on “Churches and the struggles of Africans, people of African descent, and Indigenous Peoples.” He reflected on the ecumenical movement's long commitment to combating racism.  “Entire societies were exploited through colonial systems that extracted wealth while dehumanizing people,” he noted. “Indigenous communities across continents experienced conquest, displacement, forced assimilation, genocide, and the appropriation of ancestral lands.” The church cannot proclaim reconciliation without first acknowledging history, Pillay noted. “Indeed, the ecumenical movement has long recognized this responsibility,” he said. “The inaugural assembly of the World Council of Churches in Amsterdam in 1948 identified racial prejudice and discrimination as denials of human dignity and justice.” This commitment deepened significantly during subsequent decades, Pillay reflected. “Remembering history is not an exercise in blame,” he said. “It is an exercise, or an act, of truth-telling.” Without truth, there can be no healing, he said. “Without memory, there can be no transformation,” reflected Pillay. “Whenever a person is denied dignity because of race, ethnicity, culture, language, ancestry, or origin, the image of God is violated.” Pillay also spoke of how, for many Indigenous communities, land is not a commodity. “Land is identity. Land is history. Land is spirituality. Land is community,” he said. “The ecological crisis facing our world today reminds us that humanity cannot flourish while creation suffers.” We need moral and spiritual transformation, Pillay urged. “Justice requires more than acknowledgment. Justice requires action,” he said. “For communities affected by slavery, colonialism, apartheid, dispossession, and cultural destruction, healing cannot occur without concrete measures aimed at restoration.” Pillay also attended a luncheon celebration honoring Dr Brigalia Bam’s legacy in the ecumenical movement. In addition, he participated in a media conference on gender-based violence.  A conference declaration and action plan will be adopted on 30 October.  Watch the livestream recording Learn more about the conference 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