WCC News: WCC calls for stop to attacks on Ukraine, urges dialogue not violence

As Russia launched a mass attack on Ukrainian cities overnight on 28 August killing 18, including children, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay called for a stop to attacks on Ukraine, and urged dialogue not violence. Rescue workers looking for survivors at a five-story residential building in the Darnytsia district in Kyiv, Ukraine, hit by a Russian missile on 28 August 2025. Photo: Suspilne Kyiv 28 August 2025 “The World Council of Churches is appalled by Russia’s escalation of attacks impacting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine,” Pillay said. “Last night Russia launched a large-scale aerial strike on Ukrainian cities, attacking Kyiv and regions far from the front lines.” It is reported that at least 18 people have been killed in Kyiv, including three children ages 2, 14, and 17. “According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia launched 598 drones overnight, including Shahed attack drones and decoys, as well as 31 missiles, among them ballistic and cruise missiles,” said Pillay. “While the people of Ukraine and many in the international community have been hoping and praying for signs of an end to this terrible conflict, Russia has exponentially increased its drone and missile attacks in recent months.” Pillay noted that President Putin seems intent on destroying hopes for peace. “The WCC calls on him to stop these attacks and the death and destruction they cause, to engage seriously in dialogue, and to bring Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine to an end,” Pillay said.  WCC statement on Russia’s escalation of attacks on Ukraine Statement of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations on the latest Russian terrorist attacks against Ukrainian cities 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

WCC News: Faith leaders call for economic transformation at GEM School 2025

A keynote session at the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical School on Governance, Economics and Management for an Economy of Life (GEM School 2025) discussed stark global wealth disparities, with speakers calling for fundamental economic transformation rooted in theological principles. The keynote “Inequality—Bridging Economics and Theology," featuring Rosario Guzman from Ibon Foundation and Rev. Dr Park Seong-won from Gyeongan Theological Graduate University, took place during the ongoing 10-day programme in South Korea that concludes 29 August. Participants of the Ecumenical School on Governance, Economics and Management for an Economy of Life (GEM School 2025) gather in a plenary session to discuss urgent actions for economic and ecological justice. Photo: Athena Peralta/WCC 28 August 2025 Guzman presented sobering statistics from the UBS Global Wealth Report 2025, published on June 18, showing that "1.55 billion individuals collectively own 0.6% of global wealth" while "60 million individuals hold 48.1% of global wealth." She warned that "inequality begets inequality; it does not solve itself. It creates conditions of unpeace, decreases health and education, violates basic human rights and freedoms." Park offered theological alternatives drawn from Reformed and East Asian traditions. "Calvin's message to the neoliberal economy" calls for shifting "from exclusive to inclusive" approaches and moving wealth "from the rich to the poor" rather than the reverse, he explained. Drawing from Laotzi's wisdom, Park advocated for a "water economy" that "helps everyone" and emphasises "equilibrium, justice and balance" with the principle that "enough is enough." Dr Chang Yoon-Jae, commissioner of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development and dean of School of Theology at Ewha Womans University, called for distinguishing between growth and development. "We find ourselves trapped in an obsession with growth, but now is the time to fundamentally shift the entire economic paradigm to align with the limits of finite energy and the Earth's resources," he said. "To remember and observe the Sabbath is to say no to that ideology and to choose a different rhythm of life. This is the heart of the Jubilee. It is resistance." The speakers concluded that theological wisdom offers concrete pathways beyond current economic systems. Park highlighted East Asian principles stating "if you unite wealth, you divide the people; but if you divide wealth, you unite the people." Reflecting on the keynote presentations, Athena Peralta, director of the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, noted how such sessions enrich participants' understanding. "These theological perspectives on economic alternatives demonstrate exactly what the GEM School aims to achieve—equipping participants with both analytical tools and spiritual grounding to challenge systems that concentrate wealth among the few," she said. The programme concludes with presentations of strategic projects developed by participants to advance an Economy of Life in their regional contexts WCC convenes major gatherings on economic justice and artificial intelligence in South Korea (News Release, 14 August 2025) GEM School 2025: Equipping faith leaders for economic and ecological justice Sustainability and Economy of Life UBS Global Wealth Report 2025 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

GreenFaith - From Earth Grief to Earth Courage Circle on Tuesday!

How often do you take time to stop and honor your pain for the world? With so much going on in the world – and there’s a LOT going on! – it can feel difficult or even impossible to take a bit of time to pause and simply be with the rage and the sorrow and everything else that arises when witnessing ongoing ecological devastation, growing authoritarianism, gun violence, and more. You are invited to take that pause with GreenFaith in From Earth Grief to Earth Courage (a new name for our grief circles!), a virtual space to honor the pain, root in our faiths, and find new inspiration for creating the world that we want. Join us on Tuesday, September 2, at 5pm PT / 6pm MT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET for this interactive 75-minute session. More than merely processing the difficult emotions that accompany these turbulent times, this grief and courage circle is a place to recognize the ways in which this is a time of awakening. Our collective sense of loss opens us up and invites us to find new ways of living and being on this earth. I hope you’ll join us! I know many of you will be coming off of a three-day weekend, so make sure you mark your calendars so that you don’t miss this special opportunity to connect with our beautiful community of sacred activists. RSVP now for From Earth Grief to Earth Courage. In faith + action, Rev. Chelsea MacMillan GreenFaith USA Senior Organizer Building a Worldwide, Multi-faith Climate and Environmental Movement.    1216 Broadway Floor 2 PMB 1005 New York, NY 10001 +1-917-997-8783 Copyright © 2022 GreenFaith - All rights reserved.

WCC NEWS: WCC publishes “HIV, Migration, and Forced Displacement: What Can the Churches Do?”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has published “HIV, Migration, and Forced Displacement: What Can the Churches Do?” by Sue Parry. Sculture « Mélancolie » by Albert György in Geneva. Photo: Sue Parry 26 August 2025 The manual includes a technical briefing summarizing the scope of the issue; a section on living our faith with practical applications; and theological resources.  “The reality of migration and forced displacement challenges us as Christians to become more informed and knowledgeable, to find appropriate ways to practically respond, and to welcome the stranger among us,” the introduction to the manual explains. “This manual has been developed as a tool to help churches, religious leaders, and faith communities broaden their understanding of some of the issues at stake and explore how and where we can best respond.” This manual is one of a series of four cover existing knowledge gaps in the faith sector working on HIV. “We live in an age of migration,” said Parry “It is a growing reality that cannot be ignored, as it represents people forced to make difficult decisions that completely change their lives. They are people in need, and they are our neighbours— they are us.” In one month, the WCC will organize a webinar with key discussants and experts in the topic, and with experiences of local congregations working on migration and HIV. “Furthermore, WCC will train religious leaders and diverse communities in the content of this manual in Nicaragua and Bolivia this year, and in India and other countries in 2026,” added Ross. Future manuals will cover HIV and mental health, followed by manuals on HIV prevention and HIV among young people. This publication was made possible through grants from Evangelische Mission Welweit-EMW (Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany). Read the manual 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

Living into Right Relations: August 2025

Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice News from The United Church of Canada Mark Your Calendars for Orange Shirt Sunday: September 28 [Image credit: Central Labrador Pastoral Charge]   On September 30, wear an orange shirt to say that Every Child Matters. And on September 28, mark Orange Shirt Sunday in your community of faith. This year, consider deepening your commitment through a gift or special offering to the Healing Fund, which supports initiatives for survivors of the residential school system and its ongoing intergenerational impacts. On September 30, we also invite you to join in the Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation event on Parliament Hill. This 90-minute program is a united effort of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the Algonquin Nation, APTN, and CBC/Radio-Canada. It begins at 3:00 p.m. ET and all are welcome. Not near Ottawa? It will also be broadcast live on APTN and on YouTube. Make a Gift to the Healing Fund Learn More About Orange Shirt Sunday Facebook Website Email Instagram YouTube Donate to The United Church of Canada and help fund life changing work around the world!

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