WCC NEWS: “Fighting Antisemitism” event takes human rights perspective

The World Jewish Congress hosted a UN Human Rights Council side event, “Fighting Antisemitism through Peer-to-Peer Learning," on 24 September.

UN Human Rights Council side event “Fighting Antisemitism through Peer-to-Peer Learning", 24 September 2024, Photo: World Jewish Congress 1 October 2024 The event is showcased peer-to-peer programs and featured remarks by young adults from Germany, Norway, and Switzerland who are active in local initiatives to promote intercultural dialogue, dismantle stereotypes, and celebrate Jewish culture and history while effectively combating antisemitism. The event was supported by the UN Missions of the three countries. Emma Hallali, president of the European Union of Jewish Students, delivered opening remarks, stating, “It is through showcasing the diversity of our traditions and creating spaces for genuine intercultural dialogue that we can foster greater understanding and cohesion.” Hallali further argued that these initiatives play a “pivotal role” in creating opportunities for people from different backgrounds to connect with Jewish youth. Whether through open discussions or visits to culturally significant sites, these programs offer a safe and welcoming space for fostering curiosity about Judaism, promoting dialogue, and breaking down misconceptions. Rev. Dr Kuzipa Nalwamba, WCC programme director for Unity, Mission, and Ecumenical Formation said: “The World Council of Churches’ inter-religious work contributes by offering context-sensitive, theologically grounded, intellectually accountable, and (self) critical focus on transformative dialogue and cooperation that contributes to building inter-religious solidarity in a world that is ambivalent about the role of religion in the society.” Prof. Dr Angeliki Ziaka, WCC programme executive for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation said that modern anti-Semitism, unlike pre-modern religious Judeophobia, is rooted primarily in racial and cultural prejudice. “Whereas pre-modern Judeophobia centred on religious doctrines and theological conflicts, modern antisemitism, like Islamophobia, is based on racist and pseudo-scientific claims, often woven into broader conspiracy theories,” she said. “This shift from religious to ethno-racial hostility is a hallmark of the modern era. Addressing these issues is vital to understanding global communities and promoting human rights at the grassroots level.” UN special rapporteur on minorities Prof. Nicolas Levrat delivered concluding remarks on the importance of a “bottom-up approach” in addressing minority issues, adding that “we will not solve these issues through generally normative action at the international level.” He praised the peer-to-peer model, calling it a “horizontal approach” that fosters mutual understanding, not just between communities but between individuals. The speaker also delved into the complexity of identity, recognizing it as central to minority issues and emphasizing its multi-layered nature. He expressed concern over the growing tendency in some nations to equate national identity with the identity of the dominant group.    Watch the event here "WCC sends greetings to Jewish communities on Rosh Hashanah" (WCC news release, 26 September 2024) Learn more about the WCC interreligious work Current Dialogue - World Council of Churches’ journal on interreligious dialogue 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 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

WCC NEWS: Youth and persons with disabilities bring “one body, many parts”

A conversation on 1 October focused on youth and persons with disabilities as the World Council of Churches (WCC) continued to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the WCC Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network.  29 August 2022, Karlsruhe, Germany: Carlos Augusto Pillot Diaz, a blind Baptist man from Cuba, participated in the Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network pre-assembly held on the eve of the World Council of Churches' 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe. The WCC Assembly takes place August 31 to September 8 under the theme "Christ's Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity."   Photo: Paul Jeffrey/WCC 02 October 2024 The webinar laid a foundation for the formation of a Youth Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network. Together, participants explored the network’s legacy, reflected on biblical and theological perspectives, and identified ways to further engage youth with disabilities in the ecumenical movement. Anjeline Okola, programme coordinator for the WCC Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network, offered an overview of the network’s history. “How do we move forward, even as we share in the achievements that we have already had in these 25 years?” she asked. “Some of you might be asking: at what point did the World Council of Churches start talking about issues of disability?” It goes back to 1968, she explained, “during the 4th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, where the churches were exploring the need for the church to be a more inclusive society.” Fabian Corralles Gutierrez, from the Baptist Church of Costa Rica, special education teacher, director of Oiz-cualitek, and Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network youth coordinator for Meso-America, offered nine examples of ways churches can better engage with young persons with disabilities.  He suggested that churches can be more aware of the increasing percentage of youth with disabilities in the congregation.  “Sometimes youth who are aware of their disability choose not to bring it up to the church because of cultural stigma,” said Gutierrez. “The youth with disabilities may sometimes be reluctant to share their struggles.” Abigayle Bolado, WCC programme executive for Young People in the Ecumenical Movement, spoke on effective youth engagement with Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network.  “If I am to envision the ecumenical movement, this is how I see it: one body with many parts,” she said. “Each member has its own function, and is important in the movement. All of us are given unique gifts.” Gertrude Fefoame, a member of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, spoke about engaging youth with disabilities in the next 25 years. “Everyone has been created by God to have capabilities to contribute,” she said. “Studying a Bible is critical because it enables you to know who you are, and know the capacities God has endowed you with—and in this way, you will grow to be beneficial to yourself, your groups, and society.” It is also important to study from those who have gone ahead, Fefoame noted.  “Empower yourself,” she said. “I will not hide away from telling you that there are many elderly people who see the youth as future leaders and not current leaders. This is not right. We don't have to accept this. The youth, even children, are current leaders.” Learn more about the Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network (EDAN)  WCC webinar: One Body, Many Parts: Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion 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 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

WCC News: Calls for release of Armenian hostages held by Azerbaijan growing in lead-up to COP29

The fate of Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan was focus of the side event at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on 1 October, featuring leading advocates and human rights lawyers representing the detainees. Side event to the  57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council “Human Rights in Azerbaijan: The Fate of Armenian Detainees”, 1 October 2024. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 02 October 2024 A year since the Armenian population was forced to leave Nagorno-Karabakh, at least 23 ethnic Armenians – possibly as many as 100 – remain in detention by the government of Azerbaijan, despite international calls for their release. Speakers at the side event emphasized that Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan have been denied their legal rights under international human rights law, noting that the abuse and mistreatment of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijani detention is well documented. They highlighted the forthcoming 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to be hosted by Azerbaijan in Baku on 11-22 November 2024 as a key opportunity for advocacy and action on this issue. Siranush Sahakyan, a human rights lawyer representing Armenian detainees before the European Court of Human Rights and the UN human rights mechanisms, stated that legal proceedings against Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan often fail to meet international fair trial standards, and were marked by a lack of impartiality and independence. “Forward to COP29 we urge to raise this unresolved humanitarian issue and pressure Azerbaijan to release all Armenian hostages. Without resolution of humanitarian issues there can be no trust in peacebuilding,” said Sahakyan. The year since 120,000 Armenians were forced to flee their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh also has been a year of “systematic destruction of Armenian Christian heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh and erasure and denial of long-lasting Armenian presence,” said Thibault van den Bossche, advocacy officer at the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). As stated in a recent ECLJ report, since Azerbaijan took complete control of Nagorno-Karabakh following a military offensive in September 2023, the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage has accelerated. It is important that the international community takes the growing impunity surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh very seriously, said Gurgen Petrossian, head of the International Criminal Law research group at the Friedrich-Alexander University. “Each unpunished international crime increases the risk of repetition of the wave of violence.” Hasmik Harutyunyan, a legal expert who has been documenting human rights violations in Nagorno Karabakh since 2016, speaking at the side event at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on 1 October 2024. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC Peter Prove, WCC director of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, underscored the importance of the side event “as one means of calling the attention of the international community to the serious unresolved humanitarian and human rights issues following Azerbaijan’s forcible seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh and the exodus of its Armenian population from the land that had been their home for thousands of years.”  Prove observed that Azerbaijan “has avidly exploited its presidency of COP29 to burnish its reputation in the international community. However, the better way to enhance its reputation would be to release the Armenian prisoners it still holds, to respect international humanitarian and human rights law, and to stop the erasure of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territory it controls.” The event was hosted by Christian Solidarity International and co-sponsored by the European Centre for Law and Justice, Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian Constitutional Right-Protective Centre, Armenian Relief Society, and World Council of Churches. Report by the European Centre for Law and Justice “The Systematic Erasure of Armenian Christian Heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh” WCC calls for international response to the needs of Nagorno-Karabakh refugees (WCC news release, 13 November 2023) 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 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland

Minute for Mission: Mental Health Awareness Week begins

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Minute for Mission: Mental Health Awareness Week b...: October 1, 2024 The first week in October has been designated as Mental Illness Awareness Week since 1990. People of faith, especially pasto...

Presbyterians for Earth Care - Faithful Voting Webinar Next Week, Response to Hurricane Helene, Edible Landscape Recording Available

New Webinar Next Week! Faithful Voting: Living Out Our Values at a Hinge Moment Our faith values call us to demonstrate love of neighbor in the public sphere.  We are at a hinge moment for the environment. Georgia is one of several hinge states. People of faith are a hinge voting group.  Good fruit comes from good trees. Marqus Cole, Organizing Director of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (IP&L),  will share a call to shared values and vision for the types of policies that care for creation.  He will introduce resources such as the IP&L Faithful Voter Reflection Guide and the “Ballot Ready” tool in preparation for the upcoming election.  Marqus will conclude with an important call to action and will be available to answer questions. Webinar Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2024 Time: 7:30 pm EDT (6:30 CDT, 5:30 MDT, 4:30 PDT) Presenter: Marqus Cole, Organizing Director, GA IP&L Marqus Cole originates the role of Organizing Director with Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL). In this capacity, he leads GIPL’s advocacy initiatives including federal work with the Climate Action Campaign, intervention at the Public Service Commission, and water policy work with the Georgia Water Coalition. He also directs organizers outside Metro Atlanta in outreach.

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Print your own yard sign!  Click on the image above for a downloadable PDF format.  Use the downloaded file to order your own yard sign from Staples or another office/printing store near you.  (Image shared with PEC courtesy Earthkeepers of Heartland Presbytery.)

Webinar Recording Now Available for Edible Landscapes and Climate Resilient Communities

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Online Bible Study Lesson 2: Land Justice You are invited to join Presbyterians for Earth Care on Sunday, October 27th for an online study of: Let Justice Roll Down: God’s Call to Care for Neighbors and All Creation by Patricia K. Tull Suggestions for Leaders by Rebecca Barnes NEW UPDATE!  Rebecca Barnes will be joining our discussion on October 27th and Patricia Tull will be joining us on Jan. 26th! Please join PEC for this unique monthly opportunity for community and meaningful study!    Time: 7:00 pm Eastern/ 6:00 pm Central/ 5:00 pm Mountain/ 4:00 pm Pacific. The study will run for 75 minutes each session. Future Dates: Oct. 27th, Nov. 24th, Dec. 22nd, Jan. 26th, Feb. 23rd, Mar. 23rd, Apr. 28th, May 26th Study Leaders: Rev. M. Courtenay Willcox and Rev. Lucy Youngblood Each lesson is stand alone - join us online for any or all of our study sessions!

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