“We pray that your churches may be places of refuge, compassion, and hope – serving all who are suffering. In the midst of devastation, may solidarity become a sign of hope.

“We have been witnesses to your efforts for the unity of the Church, to your labors and struggles. And what we have seen with our own eyes and heard with our own ears, we testify to today with gratitude,

“The bonds that unite us as churches are especially important at times such as this. We stand alongside our sisters and brothers in Colombia and share in their concern and hope.

“You are building communities of care, working for peace, protecting creation, advocating for justice, and standing alongside those who are vulnerable. As the World Council of Churches and as churches around the world, we must ask: how can we become spaces for healing?

“many other clergy and laypeople regularly brave floodwaters to help affected communities

“This regional ecumenical theological institute offers us a special opportunity to respond to that question together in the United States and Canada. We are grateful for the World Council of Churches’ accompaniment on the journey

“You reveal yourselves as a community that carries in your hearts all those who have remained at home or are in various other places. For you do not pray only for yourselves, but for your families, the communities from which you come, our region, our country and the whole world.

“Pillay also extended prayers to families and communities affected and for all those working tirelessly in emergency response, relief, and accompaniment.