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Regional theological institute is coming to Latin America in 2027

September 8, 2026 · 1 min read

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Tue, 09/08/2026 - 17:06

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Regional Ecumenical Theological Institute (RETI) Latin America has been announced for 2027. Prof. Dr Ani Ghazaryan Drissi, WCC programme executive for Ecumenical Theological Education (ETE) and coordinator of the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) and RETI, reflects on her hopes for the new regional initiative, and how you can get involved.

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Prof. Dr Ani Ghazaryan Drissi.

Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC

What inspired the creation of RETI Latin America 2027?

Dr Ghazaryan: RETI Latin America is inspired by the transformative experience of GETI and by a clear call from the churches. At the WCC 11th Assembly in 2022, churches asked us to develop stronger regional expressions of ecumenical theological formation.

Latin America, with its extraordinary theological heritage and vibrant ecumenical witness, should not be excluded from this global journey.

RETI Latin America will not belong to one country or institution. It will be an open continental platform bringing…

Source: World Council of Churches · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (3) 🌐 Show original

Raluca Gheorghiu

I am glad that a concrete step is being taken for Latin America, especially since they have such a rich theological heritage. But I wonder how they will manage to keep the platform truly open to all churches without turning into a WCC-only project. Anyway, 2027 seems far away, let's see how they prepare until then.

Весна Николовска

It is interesting that they mention the experience from GETI and the call from the churches of the Assembly in 2022. Here in Prilep, we often say that theology should remain an ecclesiastical and not just an ecumenical platform. I hope they really keep it open to everyone, as Raluka says, not just WCC.

Élodie Bernard

This is good news for Latin America, especially with their rich theological heritage that Professor Ghazaryan speaks about. I only hope that this platform remains truly open to local churches and not just driven by the WCC, as Raluca says. 2027 seems far away, but that gives time to prepare well.