WCC News: World Council of Churches conference in Egypt will offer insight into monastic spirituality

The Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC) to be held in Egypt will offer participants an opportunity to gain a sense of the deep Christian spirituality of the region, according to Bishop Anba Suriel of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Bishop Anba Suriel of the Coptic Orthodox Church, member of the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order. Photo: WCC 02 February 2024 At the invitation of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the conference will gather from 24 to 28 October 2025 at the Logos Papal Center of the Coptic Orthodox Church at Wadi el Natrun, just over 100 kilometres from the city of Alexandria. The Logos Papal Center is close to the ancient St Bishoy Monastery, one of the most important monastic centres in Egypt and located in the desert region of Wadi el Natrun, which means the Valley of Salt. “Some of the greatest monastic fathers settled in this area,” said Bishop Suriel in a WCC video interview. “I hope those that will come will have a very unique experience.” Bishop Suriel is a member of the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order, which is organizing the world conference. “To learn more about desert spirituality and the fathers and mothers that lived in these deserts, I think it will be an ideal site for the World Council of Churches Sixth World Conference,” he said. “There will be a lot for the delegates to see and especially to visit these ancient monasteries,” said Bishop Suriel. “It is in the desert setting, but it is like an oasis within the desert.” The WCC conference will mark the 1700th anniversary of the world’s first Ecumenical Council, the Council of Nicaea of 325, a key moment in the history of the church. The council is important to Coptic Christians, said Bishop Suriel, as St Athanasius the Apostolic, later the 20th Pope of Alexandria, was present and played a significant role in the deliberations that led to the Nicene Creed, an affirmation of faith still recited by Christians today. “Nicaea brought 318 bishops together and they were able to come to a common understanding to crystallize the Christian faith in the creed,” said Bishop Suriel. “This may help us today,” he said, “to look back at that significant event and to see what we can do as Christians to be closer together, to have more collaboration together, to understand each other better.”  More information about Nicaea 2025 More information about the WCC’s Commission on Faith and Order Toward Nicaea 2025 - Interview with H.G. Bishop Anba Suriel See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland