~Angelica Tostes
The event gathered young theologians, pastors, and ecumenical leaders from across the world to reflect on what it means to live and witness Christian unity in a world marked by inequality and ecological crisis. Set within the spiritual landscape of the Egyptian desert and the hospitality of the Coptic Orthodox Church, participants engaged in theological and contextual dialogues on justice, decolonization, and the future of the ecumenical movement.
During the programme, Angelica could share about interfaith dialogue and ecumenism in the Brazilian context, highlighting how these dimensions are experienced through community-based practices and grassroots theology. She also shared about the Interfaith Vigil for Solidarity of Palestine, an initiative that was part of TEM-Brasil’s activities, which brought together Christians, Buddhists, Afro-Brazilian traditions, and others in a collective moment of prayer, music, and reflection. The vigil embodied the spirit of transformative ecumenism — faith that engages reality, nurtures dialogue among traditions, and strengthens collective action for justice and peace.
In the Message from the World Council of Churches’ Fourth Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI 2025) to the Sixth World Conference on Faith and Order, participants affirmed that:
“Visible unity cannot be achieved solely through institutional or doctrinal dialogue but must additionally engage the realities of displacement, poverty, and pain in refugee camps, migrant shelters, in the exploited earth, and in communities where unity is practiced daily through survival, reconciliation, and solidarity.” (2025, 4.1)
TEM seeks people-based, justice-driven, and life-affirming expressions of ecumenism — expressions that arise from lived realities and transform both church and society. It aims to be a movement of movements, collaborating with communities engaged in liberative and transformative action. It also offers a space for those who dare to ask difficult questions, remaining faithful to God’s call and open to new possibilities for justice, peace, and life. Above all, TEM strives to embody the dreams and visions of young people, who continue to imagine and live out a renewed oikoumene grounded in solidarity, hope, and the commitment to transformation.
Angelica Tostes from the Ecumenical Centre for Services to Evangelisation and Popular Education (CESEEP), Sao Paulo, Brazil is member of the Steering Committee of the Transformative Ecumenism Movement (TEM)