A “Faith and Order Update,” presenting some of the main areas of the work of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission on Faith and Order, has been published as the WCC looks towards the  Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order later in 2025, and in the year that marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.

“As the unity of the church is the main goal of our work within Faith and Order, this update offers information about the current work of our study groups on ecclesiology, moral discernment, and theological anthropology and on understanding the churches in and for the world,” writes moderator of the WCC Commission on Faith and Order Rev. Prof. Dr Stephanie Dietrich in her greeting. “I wish you many interesting insights while reading.”
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The Consultation on Common Texts (CCT) concluded its annual meeting at the denominational offices of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 8. The Consultation is a joint American and Canadian ecumenical body that is responsible for the Revised Common Lectionary, a schedule of biblical passages read on Sundays and major feasts in congregations of multiple denominations in North America and other parts of the world.
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Today, Thursday, April 10, 2025, the John Templeton Foundation, in collaboration with the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Templeton Religion Trust, announced that the recipient of the 2025 Templeton Prize is the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

The Ecumenical Patriarch, the longest-serving Archbishop of the Apostolic Throne of Constantinople, is widely recognised, as noted in the Foundation’s official announcement, for “his pioneering efforts to bridge scientific and spiritual approaches to humanity’s relationship with the natural world, inspiring people of all faiths to become stewards of creation”.

Patriarch Bartholomew is internationally acclaimed for his groundbreaking contribution to ecological advocacy, interfaith dialogue, and peacebuilding efforts around the world. These include the unique “Religion, Science, and the Environment” symposia held aboard ships from the Amazon to the Arctic Ocean, his numerous ecumenical and interfaith initiatives within and beyond the Abrahamic traditions, and his sincere and courageous stance on matters of sovereignty and integrity in Ukraine and the pursuit of peace in the region.
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Anglican and Lutheran church leaders from around the world gathered in Amman, Jordan, from 29 March to 2 April 2025 for the first full meeting of the Anglican–Lutheran International Commission for Unity and Mission (ALICUM). Under the theme “Our baptismal unity,” participants reflected on their shared identity in Christ, built deeper relationships, and committed to a variety of catechetical, evangelical, and missiological projects.

ALICUM was established in 2018 by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council and the Anglican Communion’s Standing Committee as a new commission, built on the foundation of decades of agreements between Anglicans and Lutherans. In several parts of the world, Anglican and Lutheran churches are in relationships of full communion. Like the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM), ALICUM pairs Anglican and Lutheran bishops and leaders with one another from various countries around the world in order to pursues shared teaching, evangelisation, and mission.

This inaugural gathering of the full Commission brought together ALICUM pairs from Cameroon, Colombia, the Holy Land, Malaysia, Tanzania, the USA, and the Porvoo Communion (including representatives from Ireland, Scotland, Finland, and Germany). While the members from Canada and Hong Kong were unable to attend in person, they remain involved in the work.
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The Canadian Council of Churches is pleased to release the 2025 Federal Election Guide. While issues such as relations with the United States and affordability dominate the ballot, it is important to be reminded of the justice issues that Canadian churches have been addressing together. May the call for “elbows up” be complemented by a determination to link arms in solidarity. As we discern the path ahead for Canada and vote accordingly, may we practice deep listening and empathy with all people in Canada.
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On 20 May 2025, the Christian world will commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the opening of the Council of Nicaea, which took place in Asia Minor in the year 325. This was the first ecumenical council in history, and it produced the creed that, completed by the First Council of Constantinople in 381, has become the distinctive expression of the Church’s faith in Jesus Christ. This anniversary occurs within the Jubilee Year, which is centered on the theme “Christ our Hope,” and it coincides with the common celebration of Easter by Christians of both East and West. As Pope Francis has emphasized, in this historic moment—marked by the tragedy of war along with countless anxieties and uncertainties—what is essential, most beautiful, most attractive, and also most necessary for Christians is precisely the faith in Jesus Christ proclaimed at Nicaea. Indeed, the proclamation of this faith is “the fundamental task of the Church” (Address to Participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, 26 January 2024).
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The feast of the resurrection lies at the heart of the Christian faith. But finding a common date for that celebration has always been complex. Eastern and Western churches have used different calendars to calculate the date of Easter since the 16th century, and only rarely do they coincide. Fresh impetus to explore the hope of a common date for Easter comes in 2025, when all Christians will celebrate Easter on a common day. 2025 also marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which addressed the need for a common celebration of the resurrection.

This publication contains four contributions from different church traditions on the search for a way to celebrate Easter on a common date every year that were presented at a webinar organized by the Commission on Faith and Order on “Easter 2025: Celebrating Together to Strengthen Unity.”
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The General Secretariat of the Synod has sent to all Bishops and Eparchs and, through them, to the entire “Holy People of God” entrusted to their care, a Letter on the accompaniment process of the implementation phase of the Synod «For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission».

This process of accompaniment and evaluation of the implementation phase, coordinated by the General Secretariat of the Synod, was approved by Pope Francis. The Holy Father requested its dissemination to the local Churches and groupings of Churches.

Several significant meetings for evaluating the progress made in the implementation phase will conclude in 2028 with an ecclesial Assembly in Rome.
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Vatican Media spoke with Cardinal Mario Grech, the Secretary General of the Synod, about the objectives of the  process that will accompany the implementation of the Synod on synodality approved by Pope Francis and which will culminate in the Ecclesial Assembly in 2028. “The goal of the journey  that  General Secretariat of the Synod is proposing to local Churches,“ he explains, “is not is not to add work upon work but to help Churches walk in a synodal style.” Here is an extract of the interview.

The Synod on Synodality seemed to be concluded… and now it is starting again, at the will of Pope Francis, who from the Gemelli Hospital approved the work schedule for the next three years…
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