WCC News: Swiss Protestant Churches invite prayer in wake of tragic fire

Swiss Protestant Churches are organizing a prayer, accompanied by ringing of church bells across Switzerland and the world, on 9 January, in the wake of a tragic fire in Crans-Montana, a ski resort where 40 people died in a New Year’s Day blaze.  Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 05 January 2026 The fire was one of the worst such disasters in Switzerland’s history.  Swiss Protestant Churches are inviting all to join in prayer and keep those mourning in their thoughts. The prayer, available online, acknowledges the face of the magnitude of the tragedy, and the suffering of those affected. “We pray for all the families, from here and elsewhere, who are living in terrible uncertainty about whether their children are still alive; who fear that they may be hovering between life and death; who are separated from them because they are being treated far from home,” reads the prayer. “Father of heaven and earth, hear the cry of pain and hope that rises from each and every one of us.” Swiss Protestant Churches: Prayer for those affected in Crans-Montana 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 356 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 Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland