Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, has said that Christians should give priority to unity in the global Week of Prayer that runs from 18-25 January. He also commended a peace message from St Augustine.

UK-based international development agency Christian Aid has welcomed US President George Bush’s statement on the Middle East calling for ‘an end to the occupation that began in 1967’, referring to Israel and Palestinian lands.

In marking their annual visit to Rome, Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, has told the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican that peace is an integral way of life, not merely the absence of conflict.

Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, has made another appeal for peace and dialogue in Kenya following recent violence and disturbances in the wake of the country's presidential elections.

Representatives of the world's Historic Peace Churches gathered in Solo, Indonesia in December 2007, to ask what "Peace in Our Land" means - through the interrelated topics of injustice, religious pluralism, and poverty.

The Christmas message is that God in Jesus commits to transforming human ordinariness, not to fantasies about a super-hero figure or military conquerer, the President of the Methodist Conference has said in his seasonal message.

The compassionate actions of human beings, not their claims against each other, reflect the will of God and the transforming power of Jesus the Prince of Peace, say the heads of the churches in Jerusalem this Christmastide.

Christmas and Chanukah, says Rabbi Michael Lerner, share a spiritual message - that it is possible to bring light and hope in a world of darkness, oppression and despair.

As international calls for justice for Bethlehem mount again at Christmastide, Australian church leaders returned from a visit to their region have added their voices to those supporting the beleagured city of Jesus' birth.