WCC, Russian Orthodox Church Hold Talks on War and Peace

GENEVA — World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay met with a delegation from the Russian Orthodox Church on Sept. 15, 2026, for discussions on war, peace, and relations between churches.

The delegation was headed by Metr. Anthony, chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. Bp. Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the WCC Central Committee, also participated in the meeting remotely.

Pillay had invited Metr. Anthony for mutual consultations as part of the WCC’s efforts to promote dialogue and peace and its reflection on the Ecumenical Call to Just Peace, issued 15 years ago. The discussions addressed the war, religious freedom, church relationships, nuclear weapons, and the Church’s message and actions in the present circumstances.

Pillay described the meeting as a “frank, open and constructive exchange of views,” saying that participants agreed that more such conversations are needed rather than fewer. He said the Church should speak together against violence and injustice.

“The path to that common witness is dialogue,” Pillay said, adding that the alternative to encounter and dialogue is further division and confrontation. He reaffirmed the WCC’s commitment to serving as “a bridge across the divisions and conflicts of the world.”

Previously, the UOJ reported that the WCC demanded protection for St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai.