NEWS
News from our member churches and the wider ecumenical movement, with our monthly roundup and a library of stories from ecumenical bodies around the world.
Churches stand together at Waitangi
The Moderator, Right Rev.
WCC leaders meet Pope Leo XIV
A WCC delegation, including the moderator of its central committee, Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, and general secretary Rev.
A shared welcome for two theological colleges
A joint pōwhiri in Meadowbank, Auckland, on 15 February opened the academic year for Trinity Methodist Theological College and the Anglican St John’s Theological College, Hoani Tapu, with students, staff and whānau of both colleges present.
True Freedom: a Lent course on modern slavery
The WCC and the Clewer Initiative have published True Freedom, a six-week Lent course on modern slavery based on Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
Closer: a Lent series from the Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation launched a seven-week Lent series, “Closer: on the way to the cross”, which ran from Ash Wednesday, 18 February, to 4 April.
Seven Weeks for Water 2026
Every Lent since 2008 the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network has offered weekly reflections on water.
The WCC and the Vatican take stock of interreligious dialogue
During World Interfaith Harmony Week, representatives of the WCC and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue met in Geneva and at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey from 2 to 6 February.
Lent and Easter resources from Bible Society
Bible Society New Zealand released free Lent and Easter resources under the title “Walking in Jesus’ Final Footsteps”.
Methodists and Catholics in dialogue in Aotearoa
Rev.
First Asian general secretary for the World Communion of Reformed Churches
The World Communion of Reformed Churches has installed Rev.
Avondale Union Church dedicates its renewed buildings
In the first Bush Telegraph column of 2026, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Right Rev.
Building resilience in Tonga
Christian World Service announced a partnership with New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Tonga Community Development Trust to help communities in Tonga build resilience to repeated natural disasters.
Pope Leo closes the Week of Prayer in Rome
Pope Leo XIV closed the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with Vespers at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on 25 January, the feast of the Conversion of St Paul.
World Day of Prayer 2026
Christian World Service invited its supporters to join New Zealand’s World Day of Prayer on Friday 6 March.
The Week of Prayer around the world
From radio broadcasts and video messages to shared services, churches in many countries marked the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January.
Pacific churches look back on 2025
The Pacific Conference of Churches has looked back on a year of practical unity, in which Eastern and Western churches also shared the same date for Easter.
A young theologian on the Week of Prayer in Africa
Rev.
Ireland’s two primates pray for unity
The Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Archbishops of Armagh, John McDowell and Eamon Martin, marked the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with a joint video message on the theme “One Body, One Spirit”.
Lutherans look ahead to a year of ecumenical milestones
To mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Lutheran World Federation set out the ecumenical milestones it expected to share in during 2026.
Quakers and the Week of Prayer
During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Tim Gee, general secretary of the Friends World Committee for Consultation, spoke on BBC Radio’s Daily Service.