Migration is a fact of life, an instinct to survive and an inevitable consequence of globalization - something we can neither turn our backs on it nor control, declared a statement of participants at a faith-led public hearing in Beirut.

Migration is a human concern, not a Muslim or a Christian one, and joint action is vital, declared representatives of Lebanon's six most numerous faith communities at a Public Hearing on Migration in Beirut this week.

Following on from his visit to the United States, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has embarked on a series of short visits to Armenia, Syria and Lebanon. The aim is to deepen church relations and promote peace. The trip runs from 22 - 29 September 2007.

More than 300,000 Lebanese people took part in a huge unity rally in Beirut, the country's capital, on 14 February 2007. They were there to mark the anniversary of the murder of parliamentarian Rafik Hariri, reports Independent Catholic News.

The former moderator of the World Council of Churches, Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Apostolic Church, says Lebanese leaders need to sustain the democracy they have and not continue fomenting insecurity that could easily trigger more unrest in Lebanon, reports Ecumenical News International.

Two Beirut-based writers and activists have been awarded the 2006 Pax Christi International Peace Prize for their efforts to promote justice and reconciliation in the Middle East and around the world - reports the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut, Lebanon.

The peace churches that together constitute the North American relief and development agency Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) are putting money and effort into post-war reconstruction in the Lebanon. But what is most required is an end to the conflict that has fuelled human misery in recent months, its on-the-ground partners say.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) international policy committee has sent a message to the American government urging Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to increase efforts with the international community to establish peace, stability and political reform in Lebanon.

Presbyterians in the United States are being urged to celebrate a week of prayer and witness next year in support of Christians in the Middle East - writes Evan Silverstein for PC (USA) news.

Some 25 theologians from all over the world will gather on 5-8 December 2006 in Cret-Berard (near Lausanne, Switzerland), to discuss why and to what extent the persistence of cruelty can be considered as an important theme for theological reflection.