As we approach the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the twelfth anniversary of its illegal occupation of Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine, we once again address Canadian Christians with urgency, grief, and hope. These calls to action build on the witness offered in February 2024 when we released A Canadian Pastoral Letter on Ukraine, Canada and the Church. It arises from relationships of shared prayer, co-suffering, and discernment among Ukrainian Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic, Evangelical, and other Christian leaders, together with the World Evangelical Alliance Peace & Reconciliation Network, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and The Canadian Council of Churches. We write again because the war continues, suffering deepens, and faithful Christian witness remains urgently needed.
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A growing ecumenical movement is reshaping church calendars worldwide. The Feast of Creation — celebrated annually on Sept. 1 and also known as Creation Day or the World Day of Prayer for Creation — is being formally added to the liturgical calendars of many churches.

The World Communion of Reformed Churches is supporting the initiative alongside the World Council of Churches, Middle East Council of Churches, Anglican Communion, Lutheran World Federation, and the World Methodist Council.
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Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, strongly criticised the U.S.-led Board of Peace, an international body chaired by President Donald Trump to oversee the governance and reconstruction of Gaza. During an event at the Roman parish of San Francesco a Ripa Grande, Pizzaballa was asked by moderator Maria Gianniti, Rome correspondent for the Italian news channel RAI, about his thoughts on the Board of Peace.

“What do I think of the Board of Peace? I think it is a colonialist operation: others deciding for the Palestinians,” Pizzaballa said, according to a report by Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore. The cardinal also commented on the invitation extended to the Vatican to join the international body and its $1-billion price tag for a permanent seat on the board.
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Catholic and Lutheran theologians meet in Slovenia to begin drafting a joint statement marking the 500th anniversary of the Augsburg Confession.

The launch of the Sixth Phase of the International Lutheran-Catholic Commission on Unity bears fruit in Slovenia.

“We discerned new perspectives and highlighted the deep ecumenical potential of the Augsburg Confession,” said Prof. Dr Dirk Lange, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Assistant General Secretary for Ecumenical Relations, following the launch of a new phase of theological dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church.
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What is the Catholic Church in England and Wales for, exactly? Some might insist existence is enough and no more needs to be said. When the Catholic Church taught extra ecclesiam nulla salus without qualification, that was clearly an imperative. But the Catechism now states: “Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may achieve eternal salvation” (quoting Lumen Gentium, 16). Paradise is open to all people of sincere goodwill. So why be Catholic? It is not a question that has yet been fully answered.
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The World Council of Churches (WCC) has released a new resource, Ten Commandments of Climate-Responsible Banking, calling on individuals, churches, and faith-based organizations to align their financial choices with climate justice and the wellbeing of future generations.

The guide stresses that money entrusted to banks is often invested in industries driving the climate crisis and urges believers to use their economic influence to support a transition away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable alternatives.
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Strengthening relations among different Christian churches in Italy, while promoting authentic Christian values within an increasingly secular society. Those were the twin goals of a recent symposium, during which representatives of eighteen churches and Christian communities signed an ecumenical pact pledging to pursue dialogue, joint witness and closer cooperation for the common good.

As dean of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy, Rev. Carsten Gerdes took part in the two-day symposium, held in the southern port city of Bari. The gathering included the signing of a bold new agreement between Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant, Pentecostal and Free churches present around the Italian peninsula.
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To mark the 1 to 7 February World Interfaith Harmony Week, LWF’s director for Theology, Mission and Justice reflects on the need to stand united against division and hatred, tending the flame of hope together.

When the United Nations launched the World Interfaith Harmony Week in 2010, the vision was for a week globally dedicated to highlighting common values across faith traditions, including all people of goodwill — love of God, love of the good, and love of neighbour. Sixteen years later, as we observe this week again, the onslaught of the unending bad news reminds me how the world has shifted dramatically. The challenge before us is no longer simply about dialogue and understanding. It’s about solidarity and cooperation for the common good in the face of rising religious nationalism globally.
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With prayer, song, reflection, and the symbolic sharing of the Light of Christ, Christians from many traditions gathered for the closing of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 25 at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Saskatoon.

Mary Nordick, chair of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism, welcomed those gathered for the Sunday afternoon worship service, reflecting on the “blessed week” of prayer, events, and reflection from Jan. 18-25.
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Sarah Mullally was confirmed archbishop of Canterbury Jan. 28 at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. She became the first woman to hold the office in its 1,400-year history.

“It is an extraordinary and humbling privilege to have been called to be the 106th archbishop of Canterbury. In this country and around the world, Anglican churches bring healing and hope to their communities,” Mullally said ahead of her confirmation. “With God’s help, I will seek to guide Christ’s flock with calmness, consistency and compassion.”
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The World Council of Churches (WCC) convened an online meeting of church leaders from Greenland, Denmark, the wider Nordic region, and North America on 23 January.

The meeting followed the WCC general secretary’s statement on 15 January emphasizing that the people of Greenland have an inalienable right to self-determination and are on a clear pathway to independence, that their rights and views must be seriously considered and respected, and that the US Government’s stated determination to own and control Greenland is in diametric opposition to the wishes of the people of Greenland and to their political trajectory towards independence, and is tantamount to neocolonialism.
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Two talks in Saskatchewan during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will explore, first, how martyrdom has, time and again, served as a resource for ecumenism, and then how the history of Christians killing Christians can be reckoned with to engender reconciliation and greater unity in the future.

Dr. Jeremy Bergen is the keynote lecturer for the 2026 De Margerie Series on Christian Reconciliation and Unity, with 7 p.m. local time presentations on Jan. 21 at Regina’s Campion College, and Jan. 22 at Saskatoon’s St. Thomas More College.
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The Common Declaration of Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey in 1966, together with the Malta Report (1968), set the agenda for the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, of which I was a member for many years. This agenda was nothing less than the restoration of full communion in faith and sacramental life between the two traditions. Since then, ARCIC has produced a succession of agreements on Eucharist, Ministry, Authority, Salvation, Moral Teaching, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, matters which were seen as Church-dividing. In the year 2000, in spite of some new obstacles, Archbishop George Carey of Canterbury and Cardinal Cassidy of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity were able to call a meeting of bishops to consider how to take forward, in practical terms, the remarkable agreements already reached by ARCIC. Thus was formed the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity and Mission, of which I was also a member.
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Atlantic School of Theology (AST) will establish a pioneering ecumenical shared ministries training program after receiving a US$2.5-million grant from the Lilly Endowment foundation.

Designed for students preparing for ordained or lay professional ministry, as well as continuing education for existing clergy and lay ministers, the program will be the first formal training program of its kind, AST president the Rev. Heather McCance says. Ecumenical shared ministries refer to Christians from different denominations worshipping together or sharing a program, mission, ministry, clergy, staff and/or building.
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Archbishop Shane Parker, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, has written an open letter asking the Canadian government to reconsider an amendment to an upcoming bill that would remove religion as a defence against hate speech charges — while other critics describe the bill itself as an attack on free speech.

The primate otherwise expressed his support for Bill C-9, which he described as intended to address a growing number of incidents involving hateful speech or conduct, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.
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This past fall, I attended an event honouring the late Rabbi Reuven Bulka, a loved and respected rabbi from Ottawa. I was struck by the high level of security and how such measures are now common in Jewish circles. I thought, How sad we’ve come to this point in Canada where Jews are constantly forced to prepare for potential physical violence!

Antisemitism isn’t new. For millennia, Jews have faced slander, hatred and violence – and far too often from the Church. In the latter half of the 20th century, many hoped for the end of antisemitism after Auschwitz. Alarmingly, antisemitism is rising yet again.
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