Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I has called for the creation of a churches' umbrella body in Europe to include Catholics alongside Anglicans, Orthodox and Protestants.

Germany's senior Protestant leader has praised the role of European churches played in the fall of the Berlin Wall but says they need to find new ways of making their voice heard in today's Europe.

A public statement from the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) has called for prayers and assistance for those affected by the recent conflict in the Caucasus.

German President Horst Kohler has called on Christian churches to redouble efforts to promote unity, warning they risk squandering their opportunities by letting differences and disputes drown out the message of their faith - writes Stephen Brown for Ecumenical News International (ENI).