The World Council of Churches' general secretary, Rev. Jerry Pillay, has called for unity in the church community in opposition to nuclear issues as the world approaches commemorating the first atomic bombing carried out by the United States in Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, the only wartime acts of nuclear bombing.

The statement for the WCC from Pillay on July 23 in a call for a Peaceful Pacific, reminding that churches have a duty to speak for those without a voice.

The WCC statement said that in September 2025, the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders meeting will formally adopt the "Ocean of Peace Declaration," a bold regional pledge to move beyond militarized security toward holistic, relational peace.

"Yet this vision unfolds amid intensifying great-power rivalry," sionshe WCC. Too often, Pacific voices are relegated to the margins of these power contests.

"By centring Pacific island priorities—community resilience, ecological stewardship, cultural integrity—rather than serving as chess pieces in geopolitical competition, the Ocean of Peace Declaration can reassert the agency of Pacific peoples."

In partnership with the Pacific Conference of Churches, the WCC is calling on all in the global ecumenical movement, PIF leaders, and external partners to uphold the principle of "neighborhood not hegemony," ensuring that every policy respects free, prior, and informed consent and advances the "wellbeing of fenua(land), moana (ocean), and people."

The WCC said it reaffirms support for a nuclear-free Pacific, standing in solidarity with affected communities in Ma'ohi Nui, the Marshall Islands, and Kiribati.

"We call for: Independent assessments of nuclear test impacts, transparent data access, reparations, environmental remediation, and universal ratification of the Treaty of Rarotonga and of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)," said the WCC that represents around half a billion Christians from mainly Anglican, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions.

The WCC reaffirms its position that true peace requires "the dismantling of colonial systems of control and oppression."

Therefore, the world church grouping calls for the continued listing of Ma'ohi Nui and Kanaky on the UN decolonisation agenda until full self-determination is achieved.

It also seeks a transparent plan from France to decolonise by 2030 and an international review of Hawai'i's political status.

Further, it calls for the Full implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly in Aotearoa and Australia.

The WCC said it believes that military exercises like RIMPAC and Marara, often involving AI and autonomous weapons, undermine peace.

So, it is urging transparency and consent for all military activity and a UN moratorium on autonomous weapons systems, as well as island-led efforts to establish demilitarised maritime zones.

It also noted that the Pacific Ocean is central to the future of life on the Living Planet.

"Therefore, we call for: A global ban on deep-sea mining, and affirmation of the leadership of Pacific churches in climate advocacy," and the inclusion of frontline Pacific voices in UN climate forums.

The WCC seeks the promotion of eco-communal theology that unites Scripture, Indigenous wisdom, and science, and continued church divestment from fossil fuels and action for climate justice.