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 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.

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.