While Protestant, Anglican and Catholic Christians have just finished celebrating the major Easter festival and are looking towards Pentecost, for some the season is still heading towards its Sunday climax.

The head of the World Council of Churches has welcomed Metropolitan Kyrill of as the new patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, highlighting his desire for positive global inter-church relations.

The new Orthodox metropolitan of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia says his priorities include dealing with the Chinese government to bring about the proper recognition of Orthodox Christians in mainland China.

Catholic and Orthodox Christians are moving towards unity, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics declared at the end of his recent general audience in St Peter's Square, Rome. The Pope announced an international commission on the issue.