The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches, the highest decision-making body of the WCC, convened via video meeting from June 23rd to the 29th. Over 200 committee members and participants joined the meeting. Two members of the central committee participated on behalf of the Catholicosate: V. Rev. Fr. Hrant Tahanian, Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate, and Prof. Teny Pirri-Simonian, Catholicosate’s Ecumenical Representative in Switzerland. The ACUSA alumni, Ms. Carla Khijoyan, continues her ecumenical service as head of WCC’s staff responsible for the Middle East.
The central committee focused primarily on preparing for the 11th WCC Assembly, which will take place in 2022 in Karlsruhe, Germany, under the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” The governing body also addressed business matters as it is responsible for carrying out the policies adopted by the Assembly, reviewing and supervising WCC programmes and the budget of the Council. The Central committee correspondingly took this opportunity to learn from the experience of the churches in responding to unprecedented change and the devastating loss of life, as well as strengthened the WCC fellowship through sharing and prayer.
Among the many global issues discussed, the moderator’s address also highlighted the need for special attention and prayer after the recent spike in violence and geopolitical commotion in the Caucasus, specifically the Artsakh war, instigated by Azerbaijan and Turkey, which resulted in the loss of life, land, and regional security. His Holiness Karekin II Catholicos of all Armenians via video addressed the meeting describing the situation created after the war of Artsakh, as well as highlighting the human and material losses and the destruction of churches and religious sites. The Central Committee also discussed issues and matters related to the staff, administration, and relations with the churches.