Christian Division is no solution in a Divided World

The World Council of Churches (WCC) says that as we face climate change, poverty, and conflict, our unity as Christians is essential.

This week participants gathered to commence the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order.

Organised by the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order, the conference is meeting from 24 to 28 October 2025 at the Logos Papal Center of the Coptic Orthodox Church at Wadi El Natrun, southwest of Alexandria, Egypt, around the theme Where now for visible unity?

There have only been five such world conferences since the first in Lausanne in 1927, which gave birth to the Faith and Order movement, one of the Christian initiatives that led to the founding of the WCC in 1948.

The conference marks yet another  important moment in the ecumenical movement. It brings together 400 participants, including theologians, church leaders, and young people from around the world. The conference is timely as it is taking place in the year that marks the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, a defining moment for the Christian church.

Speaking at the start of the conference, Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, General Secretary of the WCC, delivered an address titled “Do We Need Church Unity?” 

He urged Christians worldwide to embrace unity as a divine calling and a practical necessity for healing a broken world.   He said: “A Divided Church has no Message to a Divided World.”

These powerful words ought to challenge all Christians during these times of global crisis. As we face climate change, poverty, and conflict, our unity as Christians becomes essential.

Pillay went on to outline four pillars for Christian unity:

Justice - a prophetic voice against oppression
Love - reconciliation in division
Peace - peacemaking amid conflict
Hope - a beacon in despair

He finished by saying: "Christian unity is not optional. It is an obligation - obedience to Christ's prayer that we may all be one."

Click to read the full address:

For further details of the conference and to access the other speeches given by a number of senior Church leaders  CLICK HERE

Article by Dr Ian Watson