The excitement and brilliance of the carnival, the grace and skill of soccer, the exotic tropical beaches and the uproar of political scandals: these are some superficial snapshots of Brazil, a country rich in natural resources and creativity but battered by poverty. What is the country that will host the World Council of Churches' 9th Assembly next February really like?

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"Tourism, while being a potent force for good, has sadly turned into an activity that leaves in its trail massive numbers of victims", says World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Samuel Kobia in a message on World Tourism Day, 27 September.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the largest and oldest church on the African continent, is hosting an international ecumenical delegation headed by World Council of Churches' (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, 24-30 September 2005.

A spear buried on the common border of two nomadic-pastoralist communities in the North Rift region of Kenya marked the end of bloody clashes a couple of decades ago. Today, the two rivals need the churches to help them arrest a fast-growing gun culture.

"The outcomes of the UN world summit, the largest gathering of heads of state in history, fall far short of the vision and the expectations of churches and people during this critical period in world history," said World Council of Churches' (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, speaking on the eve of the International Day of Prayer for Peace, 21 September.

Churches must take responsibility to nurture healing in broken societies and to promote peace, urged leaders of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in public statements on Haiti and small arms released today.

''The theme of the upcoming 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) is a prayer: God, in your grace, transform the world. But perhaps we ought to ask the question 'What would we do if God actually answered that prayer?' Or 'Dare we pray for transformation?'

Next February, twenty-six young leaders from the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) will come together in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to offer their experiences and challenges to the wider ecumenical movement.

In the lead-up to the 14-16 September 2005 United Nations World Summit, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has shared its views on a planned reform of the international body with the governments of the UK and China - the two nations which currently preside, respectively, over the G8, and the G77.