News and stories

Clare Amos, the WCC programme executive for inter-religious dialogue and cooperation, shares reflections from her participation at the interfaith gathering of Assisi on 27 October.

At an interfaith gathering in Assisi, called by Pope Benedict XVI, the WCC general secretary said, “The cross is not for crusades but a sign of God’s love embracing everybody”. He praised the role of “young change makers” in pursuit of peace and called faith leaders to engage in dialogue by addressing conflicts and accepting “the other”.

Churches have an important role to play in the lead-up to negotiations of a global treaty in 2012 to regulate the conventional arms trade, a WCC panel in New York has concluded. Key human rights obligations must be embedded in the treaty and churches should lobby together, on the basis of faith, said the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit.

During his recent visit to Pakistan, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit called for the protection of religious minorities and the need for the state to take necessary measures against religious intolerance.

Official statistics indicate the existence of three million people who were pushed away from their land and property in Colombia due to armed conflict that has taken place for years in the country. Human rights organizations claim, however, that the number of "displaced people" is actually close to 5 million people.

Five recipients of the Nobel peace prize were hailed on Friday 7 October by the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC. He offered his greetings and best wishes to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, one-time member of the WCC staff and former general secretary of the South African Council of Churches, on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Ask anyone if they can imagine a world without nuclear weapons, and as polls indicate, most will say they can. This is true even in countries that possess nuclear weapons according to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons or ICAN, a new civil society initiative dedicated to the hope of a nuclear free world.

The 200th anniversary of the University of Oslo in Norway provides opportunities for celebration, reflection and assorted special events. On Tuesday the WCC general secretary was featured in a series of presentations on justice, peace and the role of religion in global perspective.

From Fiji to Rwanda, prayers and signs of commitment are being offered for the annual International Day of Prayer for Peace on 21 September. This year’s observances are taking place in parishes and on Facebook, led by people who attended the IEPC in Jamaica this May.

This past February the WCC Central Committee announced that the theme for the Tenth WCC Assembly in 2013 in Busan, Korea would be “God of life, lead us to justice and peace.” In May, nearly one thousand church leaders and peace activists gathered in Kingston, Jamaica for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation where they released a statement calling for deeper church reflection and involvement in peace and justice.