The 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches elected eight new presidents, including the Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Bishop in the Anglican Church of Canada, during a closed session Nov. 4. WCC presidents promote ecumenism and interpret the work of the ecumenical council, especially in their respective regions. The presidents are ex-officio members of the WCC’s central committee.
The eight WCC presidents are:
- Africa: The Rev. Mary Anne Plaatjies van Huffel, Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa
- Asia: The Rev. Sang Chang, Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea
- Eastern Orthodox: H.B. John X, Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East
- Europe: Archbishop Anders Wejryd, Church of Sweden
- Latin America and Caribbean: The Rev. Gloria Nohemy Ulloa Alvarado, Presbyterian Church in Colombia
- North America: Bishop MacDonald
- Oriental Orthodox: H.H. Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians
- Pacific: The Rev. Dr Mele’ana Puloka, Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga
MacDonald became National Indigenous Anglican Bishop after serving as Bishop of Alaska and as an interim bishop in the Diocese of Navajoland. He is an alumnus of Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, has served as a priest in Mississauga, Ontario, and writes occasionally for The Living Church.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
