Anglicans take part in WCC launch of ecumenical decade of climate justice action

[Anglican Communion News Service] The World Council of Churches has formally launched an “Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action,” following a special plenary session during the WCC central committee meeting. The session, chaired by the Anglican Communion’s Panama Bishop Julio Murray, who also is the former archbishop of Central America, brought together church leaders, theologians and youth representatives from across six continents.

The launch marks the beginning of a 10-year ecumenical commitment to addressing climate injustice, rooted in biblical theology and global solidarity. The theme of the plenary — Jubilee for People and Earth — provided a theological foundation for the decade ahead, calling churches to move beyond charitable efforts and address the systemic causes of environmental degradation and inequality.

The Anglican Communion regularly participates in ecumenical dialogues and gatherings of this nature. Murray is also the Anglican Communion’s lead bishop for the environment, chairing the Anglican Communion Environmental Network, and he spoke at this event.

The Anglican Communion was also represented by the Rev. Rachel Mash, environmental coordinator of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Speaking on recent flooding in South Africa that resulted in the loss of over 90 lives, she described climate change as “the human rights issue of our time” and emphasized the role of liturgy and belief in shaping Christian action.

Theological reflections were offered by the Rev. Charissa Suli, president of the Uniting Church in Australia, who stated, “Our lifestyle consumes 1.8 times what Earth can renew. Economic transformation must begin in the heart; theology must shape discipleship and discipleship must shape the world.”

The plenary session included testimonies from communities experiencing the direct impacts of the climate crisis. The Rev. Semisi Turagavou of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma warned that some Pacific islands may become uninhabitable within two decades, asking, “Will you come alongside our boat before it slips beneath the waves?”

Edmund Stuurman, a Khoi-San elder from the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, delivered a direct challenge to global church leaders, stating, “Those who represent the Lion of Judah must roar like lions, not meow like house cats.”

The session was moderated by the Rev. Angelique Walker Smith, the council’s president from North America, and the Rev. François Phiaatae, the council’s president from the Pacific. In addition to theological input and panel discussion, participants engaged in group dialogue and a symbolic liturgy led by youth stewards involving soil, seed and hymnody.

Panelists included representatives from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the United Methodist Church in the U.S.A., the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia, the Church of Sweden and the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

The session also offered a clear direction for the decade ahead. Framed around the biblical principle of jubilee, participants called on churches to move from charity to justice, and from talk to tangible action.

Commitments made during the plenary included proposals for a global Feast Day of Creation, deeper engagement with climate diplomacy in the lead-up to COP30, and renewed emphasis on youth mobilization, liturgical renewal and addressing the root causes of environmental harm. A strong call was made for churches to support frontline communities, divest from fossil fuels, and explore legal and economic avenues for climate justice.