Statements by the WCC general secretary
Public statements and comments on current events by the general secretary of the World Council of Churches
| Title | EffectiveDate | Description |
|---|---|---|
| WCC statement on the violations of the humanitarian ceasefire agreed between Armenia and Azerbaijan | 12 October 2020 | The World Council of Churches is deeply concerned about the violations of the humanitarian ceasefire agreed between Armenia and Azerbaijan on 10 October. |
| Beirut Blast — MECC, ACT Alliance and WCC Joint Statement | 04 September 2020 | The World Council of Churches (WCC), ACT Alliance and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) present their condolences to all Lebanese people who lost their loved ones in the catastrophic explosion that ripped through the heart of Beirut on 4 August 2020. |
| WCC Statement on Hagia Sophia | 24 July 2020 | Today, despite the appeals of Christian leaders around the world and many members of the international community, including a number of prominent Muslim leaders, the decision to reconvert the Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque was implemented, with Muslim Friday prayers being heard in the ancient building for the first time since the 1930s. |
| Statement on Azerbaijan-Armenia border | 16 July 2020 | The World Council of Churches calls for urgent de-escalation of the confrontation on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border, where renewed fighting since Sunday 12 July has cost the lives of at least 16 people and resulted in destabilization and increased threats of wider conflict. |
| Ecumenical Statement on the Planned Annexation of Occupied Palestinian Territory | 29 June 2020 | Ecumenical Statement on the Planned Annexation of Occupied Palestinian Territory |
| WCC statement on developments of Korean peninsula | 17 June 2020 | WCC statement on developments of Korean peninsula |
| A Time for Pastoral, Prophetic and Practical Christianity: A Joint Statement from the World Council of Churches and Regional Ecumenical Organizations | 26 March 2020 | In a historic joint pastoral statement released on 26 March, the World Council of Churches and Regional Ecumenical Organizations affirmed the urgency of standing together to protect life amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| statement from the WCC general secretary- Hindu Muslim riots | 27 February 2020 | WCC expresses concern over mob violence in India |
| WCC general secretary's response to Trump-Netanyahu plan for Palestine and Israel | 29 January 2020 | WCC general secretary calls Trump-Netanyahu plan for Palestine and Israel an ultimatum, not a path to peace. |
| WCC, ACT Alliance and MECC statement on Gaza | 08 May 2019 | WCC, ACT Alliance and MECC statement on Gaza With deep concern over the latest hostilities in the Gaza Strip, the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and ACT Alliance express their belief that the present situation in the Gaza Strip is morally and ethically untenable. We offer our heartfelt sympathies to all the victims, killed and injured and their families, of the recent intense spate of violence. |
| WCC condemns the massacre of farmers in the Philippines | 12 April 2019 | The World Council of Churches condemns the massacre earlier this month of 14 farmers by police officers in Canlaon City and Manjuyod and Santa Catalina towns in Negros Oriental in the Philippines. |
| Statement on the political situation in Venezuela | 14 February 2019 | On 14 February 2019, Dr Agnes Abuom, moderator of the WCC Central Committee, and Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary, issued a statement about the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela. |
| Statement on peaceful transition of power in Democratic Republic of Congo | 10 January 2019 | Statement by the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit on peaceful transition of power in Democratic Republic of Congo |
| WCC general secretary statement on the report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - 12 October 2018 | 12 October 2018 | The recently released report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius is more than a wake-up call for all of us. It is an alarm bell of a disaster going on. Our home, the Earth, God’s gift of creation, is endangered by the unlimited extraction of natural resources that is clearly disrupting the life-giving systems of our planet. |
| Statement: International Ecumenical Delegation Visit to DPRK, 3-7 May 2018 | 07 May 2018 | A six-person international ecumenical delegation, comprised of representatives of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) and led by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit and WCRC general secretary Rev. Dr Chris Ferguson, visited Pyongyang on 3-7 May, at the invitation of the Korean Christian Federation (KCF) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). |
| Statement on Korean Peninsula | 19 April 2018 | Statement of the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches on Korean Peninsula |
| Statement on situation in Syria | 16 April 2018 | Statement of the general secretary of the World Council of Churches on situation in Syria |
| Statement on Pyongyang meeting outcomes | 07 March 2018 | The WCC welcomes the historic meetings on 5-6 March 2018 between a South Korean special envoy delegation and the North Korean leadership in Pyongyang – the first high-level direct talks between the two Koreas in more than a decade. |
| Statement on Syria, 26 February 2018 | 26 February 2018 | The World Council of Churches (WCC) is deeply appalled by and condemns the dramatic escalation of military actions against civilians in the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, Syria, which has led to more than 550 innocent civilians being killed, including more than 130 children as well as women and elderly people, not to mention the thousands of injured, and those who are still buried under the rubble. |
| Statement: WCC calls for peace in Colombia | 09 February 2018 | The World Council of Churches (WCC), which this year focuses its attention on Colombia in the framework of its ‘Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace’, is undertaking during these days a series of solidarity visits to communities in Colombia which continue to be affected by violence and marginalization. In light of the experiences of these communities and of other recent events in the country – including a fatal attack on a police station in Barranquilla, the bombing of an indigenous reservation in Choco province, and a recent wave of assassinations of social leaders – the WCC expresses its concern for the continuation and fulfilment of the peace process in Colombia. |
| On US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital | 06 December 2017 | Statement of the Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches on US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital |
| WCC expresses grave concern for Rohingya people in Myanmar | 14 September 2017 | The World Council of Churches (WCC) expresses its concern about the situation of the Rohingya people and the circumstances in Rakhine state that have forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and country. According to UN and reputable media reports, some 379,000 Rohingya people have sought refuge in Bangladesh since 25 August, fleeing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state. |
| WCC reaction to fresh sanctions against DPRK | 09 August 2017 | The World Council of Churches (WCC) believes that the situation on the Korean peninsula fully warrants the serious and sustained attention of the international community. There is no other geographic context in which the risk of regionally and globally catastrophic conflict is greater, and no point in recent history when tensions in the region have been higher. It is of critical and urgent necessity that the risks of conflict be reduced, not heightened. |
| Joint Communique, Muslim Council of Elders and World Council of Churches | 27 April 2017 | Joint Communique issued by the delegations representing the Muslim Council of Elders and the World Council of Churches at the meeting held 26 April 2017, Cairo, Egypt. |
| Statement on Peace and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula | 12 April 2017 | The World Council of Churches (WCC) joins the National Council of Churches in [South] Korea (NCCK) in expressing grave concern at the re-deployment of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group to the seas surrounding the Korean peninsula. In a context of already heightened tensions - especially in the midst of the ongoing joint US and South Korean Foal Eagle-Key Resolve military exercises and the steps being taken to deploy the US missile defence system THAAD in South Korea, and North Korean threats of a nuclear response - this constitutes a further escalation of military confrontation in the region. |
| Statement on attack in the Idlib Governance of Syria | 06 April 2017 | Statemtent by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit on attack in the Idlib Governance of Syria, April 2017. |
| Statement on detention and deportation of WCC associate general secretary | 06 December 2016 | Statement on detention and deportation of WCC associate general secretary at Ben Gurion International Airport on 5 December 2016. |
| Statement on the current situation in Aleppo, Syria | 05 December 2016 | Statement on the current situation in Aleppo, Syria, by Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, 4 December, 2016. |
| Statement by general secretaries Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit (WCC) and Jim Winkler (NCCCUSA) | 15 September 2016 | Statement by general secretaries Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit (World Council of Churches) and Jim Winkler (National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA) on NCC/WCC Consultation on the Holy Land, 14 September, 2016 |
| Statement on events at Ben Gurion International Airport, 29 April-2 May 2016 | 09 May 2016 | After traveling to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv for a climate justice meeting, WCC staff and partners were detained or deported in a manner that WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit terms both unprecedented and intolerable. |
| Air strike on Syrian refugee camp | 06 May 2016 | The Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit condemns the air strike targetting the Kammouneh Syrian refugee camp, which is reported to have killed at least 28 people. |
| Meeting of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill for unity and peace | 12 February 2016 | Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit welcomes the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill in Cuba as an historic ecumenical event, and very timely in the context of the conflicts and crises currently causing so much suffering in the world. |
| Statement calling for an end to foreign military interventions in Syria | 12 October 2015 | WCC statement calling for an end to foreign military interventions in Syria |
| Statement on agreement between Colombian government and FARC | 24 September 2015 | Statement by WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit on the announcement of an agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC revolutionary force . |
| Statement on refugees in Europe | 04 September 2015 | WCC statement on refugees in Europe, calling for responsibility for and support to the refugees in Europe. |
| Statement on killings in Kuwait, Tunisia and France | 29 June 2015 | Statement on killings in Kuwait, Tunisia and France, by WCC acting general secretary Georges Lemopoulos. |
| Statement on the Encyclical Laudato Si’ | 18 June 2015 | Statement by the WCC general secretary on the Encyclical Letter "Laudato Si’" of Pope Francis on care for our common home |
| Statement by WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit on resumption of Cyprus talks | 18 May 2015 | The WCC and its member churches around the world warmly welcome the resumption on 15 May 2015 of negotiations between the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. |
| WCC and CCA call for urgent action in earthquake-hit Nepal | 26 April 2015 | The World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia issued a joint statement following the earthquake that struck Nepal on 25 April 2015. |
| Statement on xenophobic attacks in South Africa | 24 April 2015 | During recent days, we have seen numerous tragic expressions of the special vulnerability of migrants and migrant workers. The 28 Ethiopian migrant workers reportedly executed by ISIS in Libya, the hundreds of deaths on the Mediterranean Sea, and the xenophobic violence and killings of migrant workers in South Africa are only the most recent illustrations of the threats against people engaged in the simple and universal human search for a better life for themselves and their families – often driven to perilous risk by desperation, conflict and oppression in their home countries. |
| Ending extreme poverty: A moral and spiritual imperative | 09 April 2015 | Over 30 leaders from major world religions and heads of global faith-based organizations today launched a clarion call to action to end extreme poverty by 2030, a goal shared by the World Bank Group. |
| Statement condemning terror attack in Kenya | 03 April 2015 | The WCC has strongly condemned the terror attack on the campus of Garissa University in North East Kenya in a statement issued from the WCC headquarters in Geneva. |
| Statement condemning attacks on religious sites in West Bank and Jerusalem | 27 February 2015 | Statement from WCC acting general secretary Georges Lemopoulos condemning the recent attacks against a mosque in the West Bank and a Christian centre in Jerusalem. |
| Statement condemning attacks on Christians in Syria | 25 February 2015 | Statement condemning attacks and atrocities by the so-called “Islamic State” perpetrated against Assyrian Christians in Syria. |
| Statement on Ukraine ceasefire agreement | 13 February 2015 | Statement from Georges Lemopoulos, WCC acting general secretary, welcoming the ceasefire agreement for eastern Ukraine. |
| Statement on US-Cuba relations | 18 December 2014 | WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit comments on positive developments in relations between Cuba and the USA announced on 17 December 2014. |
| Statement on Peshawar school massacre | 17 December 2014 | Following the massacre of dozens of students and staff in Peshawar on 16 December 2014, WCC general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit extended his sympathies. |
| Statement on Nigeria mosque attack | 03 December 2014 | Statement from the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit following the attack on the Great Mosque of Kano in Nigeria on 28 November. |
| Statement on Jerusalem synagogue attack | 18 November 2014 | Statement from the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressing concer over attack on Israeli worshippers at Jerusalem synagogue. |
| Statement about attacks on Nigerian churches | 05 November 2014 | WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit's statement expressing dismay over attacks on Nigerian churches. |
| Concern over Asia Bibi case | 28 October 2014 | Statement from the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit over over recent decision on Asia Bibi case. |
| Statement on Gaza | 22 July 2014 | Expressing grave concern over the escalation of military operations in Gaza, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit calls for immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza. |
| A tragic exodus of the Christian community from Mosul | 21 July 2014 | A tragic exodus of the Christian community from Mosul: Statement and call for solidarity from Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, WCC general secretary. |
| Concern over violence in Gaza | 11 July 2014 | WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit condemns attacks by the Israeli military on the civilian population in Gaza, as well as firing of rockets by militants from Gaza to Israel. |
| WCC-RABIIT joint statement on the bombings in Jos, Nigeria | 21 May 2014 | Joint statement from the WCC and the Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought (RABIIT) on the bombings in Jos, Nigeria. |
| Palestinian Prisoners Day: A call to churches worldwide to pray and act for justice | 17 April 2014 | Issued by the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, on 17 April 2014. |
| Public statement on the importance of bringing the world’s new Arms Trade Treaty into effect | 02 April 2014 | Public comment from the WCC general secretary on the importance of bringing the world’s new Arms Trade Treaty into effect, issued on 2 April. |
| Concern over Egypt court decision of death sentence for 529 people | 28 March 2014 | WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressing concern over court decision in Egypt, where around 529 people have been sentenced to death. |
| Comment on Iran nuclear agreement | 27 November 2013 | WCC general secretary's public comment on Iran nuclear agreement |
| OPCW Nobel Peace Prize | 14 October 2013 | Congratulations to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate of 2013, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons |
| Death of migrants in Italy shipwreck | 04 October 2013 | Statement from the World Council of Churches general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit over the death of migrants in Italy shipwreck on 3 October. |
| 68th anniversary of atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki | 05 August 2013 | Public comment by the WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit |
| NATO summit: Nuclear weapons in Europe | 15 May 2012 | Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit urges the NATO to “lead by example” and withdraw nuclear weapons still deployed in Europe. |
| Anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster | 11 March 2012 | Tribute to the victims of Fukushima nuclear accident from the World Council of Churches general secretary |
| Statement ahead of COP17 in Durban 2011 | 23 November 2011 | Ahead of the UN Conference on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa, 28 November - 10 December 2011 (UNFCCC COP17), the WCC general secretary, the Rev Dr Olav Fykse-Tveit, reiterates the WCC call for climate justice. |
| Ten years after 9/11 | 07 September 2011 | Ten years after the 9 September 2001, when thousands of people from more than 90 countries were killed in a coordinated assault on targets in the United States, the WCC general secretary reflects on the legacy of pain, grief, disorder and enmity, and on the power and meaning to be found in supportive prayers and other expressions of compassion. |
| Statement on Syria | 09 August 2011 | Voicing an appeal for the renunciation of violence by all sides in ongoing political conflict in Syria, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches has stated, "it is particularly urgent that the army and government security agencies cease the indiscriminate use of force" against demonstrators, moving instead to protect all Syrian citizens' lives, dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms. |
| Statement on Libya | 05 May 2011 | In a public statement issued 4 May 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, said that the power and political will being used in Libya to protect the safety and interests of the Libyan people «must be directed away from the use of armed force» and «channelled into negotiations to end the bloodshed» now consuming Libya. |
| Violence in Cote d'Ivoire | 05 April 2011 | In a public statement issued 5 April 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, expressed deep concern regarding the ongoing violence and killings of a large number of civilians in Cote d'Ivoire, including women and children, particularly in Duekoue and Abidjan. |
| Ratification of new START treaty | 23 December 2010 | Statement on the ratification by the US Senate of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia |
| 65th anniversary of 1st atomic bombings | 05 August 2010 | Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit on the anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
| US-Russia nuclear arms reduction treaty | 08 April 2010 | The Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit's comment on the signing of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) by Presidents Medvedev and Obama in Prague, 8 April 2010. |
| Haiti's foreign debt | 25 January 2010 | In this statement, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit calls for the immediate and unconditional cancellation of Haiti's foreign debt. |
| Statement on Iraq | 16 March 2007 | |
| International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 21 March 2001 | 08 March 2001 | Statement issued by Konrad Raiser |
| Joint statement on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination | 19 March 1997 | Issued jointly by Mr Jean Fischer, general secretary of the Conference of European Churches, the Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, the Rev. Dr Milan Opocenski, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser of the World Council of Churches. |
