Organisations engaged in religious lobbying or religion-related advocacy in Washington DC have increased fivefold in the past four decades, says new research.
Christians are called to stand with those who are victims of oppression, poverty and violence, a World Council of Churches' leader has said in advance of its forthcoming United Nations Advocacy Week in New York.
The Rev Kjell Magne Bondevik, former prime minister of Norway and now moderator of the World Council of Churches' Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, wants to see its public statements carry a distinctly religious tone.
Leaders from the World Council of Churches and its Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and independent member churches are lobbying the United Nations and member states as part of their concerted advocacy efforts for Africa and other causes.
A new advocacy initiative, launched at the culmination of a World Council of Churches (WCC) conference in Jordan this week, is to help churches worldwide work for a just peace in Palestine and Israel.
Catholic Bishops in India have appealed for justice for the country's Muslim population as it faces increasing pressure from nationalists, alongside Christians. They have also highlighted the plight of Dalits (formerly known as 'untouchables') and other minority communities.