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.

At a service attended by Barack Obama after his inauguration, the president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), called on the leader to chose compassion, faithfulness and love over vengefulness, anger and fear.

World churches are making a strong appeal for a much more principle-based approach to the planet's ecological challenges at the United Nations Climate Change Conference meeting in Poznan, Poland.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions has been welcomed as a "humane and historic victory" by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia.

Leaders of 24 US churches gathering in Washington DC next week will deliver a message to President-elect Barack Obama, outlining hopes for the new administration in working for peace with justice.

Christians from the Pacific islands have appealed for worldwide solidarity with regard to climate change, a question of life and death in their communities.

An international ecumenical delegation of church representatives is currently paying a solidarity visit to churches, ecumenical organizations and civil society movements in Haiti.

Migration, the conflict in Sri Lanka and climate change were the hot topics at the World Council of Churches' advocacy week at the United Nations in York. Its organisers believe it was a big success.

The Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC) has launched its 2009 focus on the Caribbean region with the theme: "One Love: Building a Peaceful Caribbean".

Religious freedom and interreligious dialogue will be on the agenda of an international inter-church team visiting Pakistan next week, meeting representatives from churches, the Muslim community and government.