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.

The French cleric who heads the main grouping of Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant Christian denominations in Europe has proposed the creation of a Council of European Churches that would also include the Roman Catholic Church.