News and stories

Calling it a "significant event in contemporary Africa," World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia hailed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed on 9 January 2005 by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SLPA/SPLM).

“I would like to express my thanks to this group of Christian leaders and volunteers who are here to promote the principles of the prince of peace,” said former US president Jimmy Carter. Present in the region as an international monitor for the Palestinian elections, Carter was speaking at a 20 January gathering in Jerusalem of members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI),...

> Orthodox pre-Assembly meeting > Week of Prayer for Christian Unity > Young Missiologists’ Conference > WCC at the World Social Forum

The good news of Christmas shines forth upon the world like the summer sun in the southern hemisphere, like a sparkling star in the wintry northern sky. It shines brightly as "good news of great joy" in a world that surrounds us with disturbing news. It renews our faith in the promise of peace on earth, and calls us once again to praise God whose glory extends to the highest heavens. For centuries, the hope of peace inherent in...

"Where is God? He created us in his image. Why then is the image of God violated in women?" wonders Joy Kwaje, a Christian woman from Sudan, a country that "has been at war for three generations" and where violence is an existential issue for the women. "We want people to hear the cry of pain of the women of Sudan," she says. In the following interview, she talks about what Sudan's churches and women are doing to...

"We suffered a lot. And as a result, we are still suffering," says Rita Wheazor, the director of War-Affected Women in Liberia (WAMIL). Rita, like many other Liberian women during Liberia's 14-year-long civil war, has experienced violence that was aimed at them only because they were women.

> Where is the ecumenical movement going in the 21st century? > Observing World AIDS Day > Theological consultation to affirm human dignity, rights of peoples and the integrity of creation > High-level visit from the Roman Catholic Church > Ecumenical formation seminar > Churches to review prospects for the struggle against HIV/Aids in Russia > Consultation on spiritual accompaniment of political processes

Through combined spiritual accompaniment and active advocacy approaches, the ecumenical movement is making a vital contribution to the work for peace in crisis regions around the world. A case in point - Sudan - was the main focus of the third public seminar at a 14-19 November World Council of Churches (WCC) international affairs and advocacy week at the UN in New York.

Can you think of a time when you last heard the words "child abuse" and "church" used together in a sentence that did not refer to a high-profile scandal involving a church leader who had sexually abused children? It is almost impossible to think of such an example, particularly considering the deluge of stories in the media about church-related child sexual abuse over the past few years. As a result, an accusing spotlight...

Churches worldwide will address violence against women and children within the framework of a World Council of Churches (WCC) campaign, "On the wings of a dove".