WCC calls for closer cooperation on justice and peace challenges

(Vatican Radio) Pope John XXIII’s teachings on peace and human rights continue to influence the Christian world, far beyond the confines of the Catholic Church. That was the message brought by the secretary general of the World Council of Churches, Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, to a meeting here in Rome marking the 50^th anniversary of the landmark encyclical Pacem in Terris.

The WCC leader told participants at the three day conference that people of all different confessions, disciplines and political persuasions are increasingly called to walk the pathway of justice and peace together.

Ahead of the WCC’s forthcoming Tenth Assembly, which will open in Busan, South Korea at the end of October, he said the journey of just peace focuses on four challenges: peace in the community, peace with the earth, peace in the marketplace and peace among peoples.

Philippa Hitchen caught up with Dr Fykse Tveit to discover how Pacem in Terris continues to influence the ecumenical movement today….


Listen.


"When we read again this magnificent document, we see how much it was reading the signs of the times, but also that it is reading the signs of our times.....it has had such a history and impact on the life of the Catholic Church but also on the whole of the ecumenical movement. It has a depth and a clarity that makes it very valuable for us today....

This couldn't be a better preparation for me, a month before the Assembly, reflecting again on how these issues of justice and peace are uniting us, both because we have this as a central part of our faith, but also because the challenges of the world are the same and we need to address them together...."