Front Page

WCC Pays Tribute to Late President Pope Shenouda III

March 18, 2012 – Pope Shenouda III, spiritual leader of the Egyptian Coptic Church since 1971 and a president of the World Council of Churches (WCC) from 1991 to 1998, passed away of natural causes on Saturday 17 March. In a letter to the church dated 18 March, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit paid tribute to Pope Shenouda's unwavering pursuit of Christian unity and peace throughout the Middle East and the world. "As a leader he taught us that modesty is the best way to serve Christ," wrote Tveit, noting that Shenouda is remembered as "a strong believer in Christian-Muslim conviviality and cooperation. His initiatives in the field of interreligious dialogue contributed to the unity of the Egyptian people."

Church to Renew its Thinking on Mission and Evangelism

March 22, 2012 – With more than 200 participants from around the globe, an event of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) starts today in Manila, the Philippines. Its aim is to seek renewed thinking on mission and evangelism, developing a draft of the WCC statement on mission and evangelism that succeeds a statement of thirty years ago. Hosted by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), the event will continue from 22 March to 27 March, focusing on the theme "Together towards life: mission and evangelism in changing landscapes."

Statement from the Diocese of Egypt on the Death of Pope Shenouda III

March 18, 2012 – Pope Shenouda III, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, has Passed Away Together with all Egyptians, the Episcopal / Anglican Church of Egypt mourns the loss of Pope Shenouda III, the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Pope Shenouda passed away yesterday (Saturday 17 March) at the age of 89 and 41 years after his enthronement as the 117th Patriarch of Alexandria. Pope Shenouda was a great example of a Bishop who is committed to teaching his people regularly. Every Wednesday for the last 41 years, he met with his people (between 5000 and 6000 each week) to answer their questions and teach from the Bible.

ELCA Presiding Bishop to Speak at Coexist Prize Ceremony

March 19, 2012, CHICAGO – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), will join Jewish and Islamic leaders on a panel discussion at the Coexist Prize Ceremony March 20 in New York City. Joining Hanson is Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and His Excellency Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the grand mufti of Egypt. The panel discussion is part of the Coexist Foundation's inaugural Coexist Prize Ceremony – an international prize established to recognize an unsung hero or heroine who has made outstanding contributions to building bridges between people of different faiths.

General News

New Leadership for Three ELCA Higher Education Institutions

March 23, 2012, CHICAGO – Two universities and one college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have elected new presidents. There are 26 colleges and universities in the United States affiliated with the ELCA.

WCC-CWME Invokes New Understanding of Mission and Evangelism

March 22, 2012 – Since 1982 there has been only one official statement of the World Council of Churches (WCC) on mission and evangelism. Now in 2012 the WCC's Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) is preparing another statement to invoke new understanding of mission and evangelism amidst changing world and ecclesial scenarios. The statement, titled "Together towards life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes," will be presented at the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan, Korea in 2013 once it is approved by the WCC Central Committee. This landmark document draws on insights from Protestant, Evangelical, Orthodox and Roman Catholic mission theologies.

New WCC Video on World Mission and Evangelism

March 22, 2012 – A new video from the World Council of Churches (WCC) called The Changing Face of Mission explores the history of mission since the 1910 Edinburgh conference on mission, and how during the past century mission has changed. "Mission dictates that we take the church into the world where people are hurting," says Jennifer Martin, a commissioner with the WCC Commission for World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) in the opening of the video. The 26-minute video takes the viewer through some highlights of Christian mission from the incarnation of the International Mission Council (IMC) in 1921 to the formation of the CWME in 1961 through its integration with the World Council of Churches (WCC) .

House of Bishops Continues Theme of ‘Church for the 21st Century'
‘Prayer-filled Sessions' Focus on General Convention, Same-Gender Blessings

March 20, 2012 – The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops spent much of its five-day meeting at Camp Allen Conference & Retreat Center in Navasota, Texas, focusing on its ongoing theme of ‘Church for the 21st Century and the Gift of Episcope' and discussing issues related to the upcoming General Convention and same-gender blessings. During its March 20 business meeting, the House of Bishops adopted a resolution to send greetings to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams as he prepares to leave his post and return to academia at the end of the year.

Group Offers ‘Plan B' for Church Structure

March 19, 2012 – A group of church leaders is calling for an alternative to the proposed reorganization of The United Methodist Church's general agencies. An international ad hoc group of laity and clergy has put together a restructuring proposal they call "UMC Plan B," combining contributions from people in 15 annual (regional) conferences in four U.S. jurisdictions and two central conferences outside the United States.

Spanish News

Convocan a Comunidades Cristianas a Participar
De La V Cumbre De Los Pueblos Y Días De Acción Por Colombia

23 marzo 2012, COLOMBIA – Para aportar en la visibilización y hacer incidencia por justicia para las víctimas, así como en el logro de la paz en Colombia por medio del diálogo, durante los últimos años iglesias y organizaciones ecuménicas en Canadá, Estados Unidos y Colombia han realizado en el mes de abril los Días de Oración y Acción por la Paz en Colombia. En el 2012 estos días se realizarán entre el 12 y el 16 de abril con los temas: "Juntemos Nuestras manos por la paz la de Colombia" y "Los desplazados necesitan tierras para construir su hogar."

Crucifijos Generan Controversia Y Demandas

23 marzo 2012, BRASIL – Acogiendo con beneplácito la solicitud de la Liga Brasileña de Lesbianas y la organización de defensa de los derechos de los homosexuales, el Consejo de la Magistratura del Tribunal de Río Grande del Sur ordenó la retirada de los crucifijos de todos los edificios del Poder Judicial gaúcho. La Liga sostiene que el Estado es laico y no puede por lo tanto, exponer símbolos religiosos en sus edificios.

Caída De Un Templo Que Se Mantenía En Pie Muestra Todo Lo Que Falta Hacer Aún

19 marzo 2012, HAITÍ – La caída de un templo que se mantenía en pie luego del terremoto del 12 de enero de 2010, esta semana que concluye, vino a revivir el pánico de parte de la población que rememoró aquellos difíciles momentos, y fue, también, como una visión de que el país está en urgencia, todavía, de ser reconstruido, cuando la inefectividad de autoridades locales y organismos internacionales cada día se evidencia más.

Visita Del Papa Resalta Diversidad Religiosa Y Crecimiento De Agnósticos Y Ateos

22 marzo 2012, CIUDAD DE MÉXICO – En medio de una diversidad religiosa más grande y el crecimiento del número de ateos y agnósticos, lo cual ha hecho disminuir el número de católicos en toda América Latina, llegará mañana a México el papa Benedicto XVI, razón por la cual irá a Guanajuato, en el centro occidental del país, lugar que se considera el corazón del catolicismo allí. Se espera sea recibido por unos 3 mil 500 files y un grupo de Mariachis, junto al nuncio apostólico Christophe Pierre, el presidente Felipe Calderón y su esposa, así como el arzobispo de León, monseñor José Guadalupe Martín Rábago, en lo que constituye el inicio de su segunda visita a Latinoamérica.

Human Rights News

UN Human Rights Council Extends Mandate of Iran Monitor

March 23, 2012, GENEVA – The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted by an overwhelming margin for a continuing investigation into human rights violations in Iran. Yesterday's vote of 22 to 5 with 20 abstentions came after two major UN reports sharply criticized Iranian authorities. "This result is a clear indication of the Council's concern over Iran's abysmal record on human rights," said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva. The vote extended for a year the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed.

Scientists Call for Release of Baha'i Educators

March 21, 2012, COLLEGE PARK, Maryland – An international body that monitors the human rights of scientists around the world, and assists those in need, is urging the Iranian authorities to free imprisoned Baha'i educators. In a letter addressed to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Committee on International Freedom of Scientists of the American Physical Society is appealing to the Iranian government to "immediately and unconditionally release" all imprisoned individuals affiliated with the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) and to "allow the Baha'i Institute to freely operate, and to ensure that all Iranian students have access to higher education."

Churches Share Concerns about Human Rights Situation in Philippines

March 22, 2012 – "The situation of human rights violations remains worrisome in the Philippines. It ranges from vilification, harassment, torture, evacuation due to military operations and other inhumane treatment of political prisoners," Marie Hilao-Enriquez told the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit and other WCC staff during an encounter in Manila, Philippines on 21 March. Hilao-Enriquez is chairperson of Karapatan, a human rights activist group working in cooperation with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP). She spoke about human rights violations with the WCC staff members who are currently in Manila to participate in a WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) event.

International News

Call for Participants from Asia to Apply for the Peacebuilders' Exchange

March 23, 2012 – The Anglican Alliance is calling for applications from young Anglican peacebuilders in Pakistan and Sri Lanka to take part in a unique workshop on conflict resolution in the UK in July. The ten day programme, The Peacebuilders' Exchange: Transforming Conflict, Changing Lives, is designed to develop the peacebuilding skills of young Anglican leaders. Run in conjunction with the Community of the Cross of Nails, it will explore the challenge of conflict as a barrier to pro-poor development and allow participants to share examples of best practice in conflict transformation across the Anglican Communion. It's the first workshop of its type to bring together young people from across the developing world and Europe.

"Transformative Spirituality Is a Breath of Fire"

March 23, 2012 – Transformative spiritualities and mission is a significant point of discussion at the pre-assembly event of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) which is currently under way in Manila. Transformative spiritualities are also one of the constituent themes of the CWME statement on mission and evangelism that will be presented to the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan, Korea in 2013.

Advocacy, Witness and Accompaniment for Sudan

March 22, 2012 – With hardly a chance to bask in the jubilation that accompanied the July 2011 creation of the Republic of South Sudan, the advocacy community was called into action to protest the military actions of the National Congress Party (NCP) and the government of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir in violating the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The CPA provided for the residents of Abyei to determine their future through a separate referendum, and the Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains to have their status determined by a process described as "popular consultation."

Beyond Independence, Sudan's Christians Still Face Persecution

March 22, 2012 – Actor George Clooney's March 16 arrest, along with nine other activists, outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., sparked headlines around the world, drawing international attention to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the troubled border region between Sudan and South Sudan. Protesters who had gathered to take part in the National Day of Action for Sudan rally cheered Clooney as police fastened flexicuffs around his wrists and drove him off for processing. Later that afternoon, after posting and forfeiting a $100 bond, Clooney was free to go home. But for Episcopal Church of Sudan Bishop Andudu Adam Elnail, who also spoke at the rally, there will be no such homecoming.