WCC News: WCC issues “Call to Prophetic Action for Life, Justice, and Peace”

A conference of World Council of Churches commissions and reference groups in Chiang Mai, Thailand, has closed with a message entitled “Call to Prophetic Action for Life, Justice, and Peace.” A local fisherman’s boat heads out to sea at sunset on Thailand’s Andaman coast. For coastal communities, the ocean is both livelihood and lifeline. Sirinat National Park, Thailand.  Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 13 October 2026 Hosted by the Christian Conference of Asia and the Church of Christ in Thailand from 4-9 October, the meeting drew inspiration from the commitment of Asian Christians to encounter, dialogue, and harmony with people of other faiths, civil society, government authorities, and the rest of creation, seeking a common life and witness together in the midst of the diversity of faith and culture. “We met in a time of polycrisis,” the message reads. “Creation is suffering, and those who caused the least harm suffer first and most.” The message notes that new technologies bring both promise and danger.  “In these days, we have asked whose voices were missing or excluded from our memory of ecumenical social ethics,” reads the text. “We especially recognize with alarm the distinct echoes between the context of the Oxford Conference on Church State and Society in 1937 and our present global situation.” The message notes how the churches’ response in 1937 was to seek ever closer unity. “While noting the similarities of historical circumstance, and the continued importance and applicability of the Christian ethical principles developed during those times, we are also acutely aware of the great gaps in this history and in our current ethical responses,” reads the message. “Refugees, migrants, and others on the move face resurgent xenophobia and discrimination, and the ethical response to their situation remains inadequate, even more so in these times of populist and isolationist nationalism.” The message reflects that the Christian community is both local and global. “We understand that we must work to ensure the resilience of the ecumenical movement as nationalist movements antagonistic to our vision proliferate and claim Christian authenticity for their agendas,” reads the text. “We must ensure that we stand alongside beleaguered international structures, even as we help reimagine them, and remain robust in upholding true internationalism as a Christian virtue." Message of the Joint Conference of the WCC Commissions and Reference Groups on Life, Justice and Peace in Chiang Mai Commission leaders in Chiang Mai reflect on re-articulating social ethics for today (WCC News release, 09 October 2026) Listening before speaking: conference participants meet local communities in Chiang Mai (WCC Feature story, 8 October 2026) Chiang Mai conference opens to explore “Being Church in the World Today” (WCC News release, 05 October 2026) PHOTO GALLERY: Conference of the WCC Commissions and Reference Groups on Life, Justice and Peace in Chiang Mai, Thailand Participants of the Joint Conference of the WCC Commissions and Reference Groups on Life, Justice and Peace gathered in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 4-9 October 2026. Photo: Sean Hawkey/WCC 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