Christian leaders in Syria say the victor of the 2008 US presidential election will have to focus on renewing peace efforts in the Middle East, with the priority being settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian standoff.

A delegation led by the Rev Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) has travelled to Syria wishing to learn from the country's long experience of Christians and Muslims living peacefully together.

Dr Rowan Williams has described as ‘heartbreaking and harrowing’ a meeting in Syria with refugees from Iraq. While UK media and politicians complain about asylum seekers, Syria has had to absorb more than a million Iraqi victims of war and oppression, he learned.

Following on from his visit to the United States, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has embarked on a series of short visits to Armenia, Syria and Lebanon. The aim is to deepen church relations and promote peace. The trip runs from 22 - 29 September 2007.

Calls are growing for Britain and the US to do more for the two million refugees who have fled Iraq since the invasion four years ago.

The largest Christian gathering in Asia is taking place in India this week. The 112th Maramon Convention, which runs through to 18 February 2007 in Kerala, is organized annually by the Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association, the mission and evangelism wing of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar ‚Ä' which has roots in both the Anglican and Orthodox traditions.

As violence continues to make life intolerable for many people in Iraq, Pope Benedict XVI, head of th world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, has made an appeal to the international community for direct assistance to those forced to leave their homes as a result of the "dramatic situation" in the country.

Presbyterians in the United States are being urged to celebrate a week of prayer and witness next year in support of Christians in the Middle East - writes Evan Silverstein for PC (USA) news.