World Council of Churches Central Committee meeting
The Central Committee meeting of the World Council of Churches (WCC) met at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland, from 21‒27 June 2023. This was the first Central Committee meeting following the WCC’s 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 2022.
The main purpose of the meeting was to develop a strategic response to the Assembly’s vision for the WCC, defined as “A Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation and Unity”, until the next Assembly in 2030. The agenda included time for daily prayer in the chapel of the Ecumenical Centre, group meetings, discussions and decisions in plenary sessions, and time for community building. A particularly important moment was an ecumenical prayer service at Saint Pierre Cathedral in Geneva to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the WCC.
In addition to the 150 members elected by the Assembly, the Central Committee has ecumenical partners and churches serving in an advisory capacity, including the Catholic Church, represented by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (DPCU). On this occasion, Reverend Andrzej Choromanski, staff member of the DPCU responsible for multilateral relations, also participated in the meeting.
The last Central Committee meeting, attended by the Catholic Church, took place online in February 2022.
The WCC is the largest ecumenical organization in the world. Although not an official member, the Catholic Church maintains a close relationship with the WCC through the Joint Working Group established in 1965, as well as through Catholic representatives in various commissions and joint projects, such as the annual preparation of the material for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.