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Amidst the quiet vineyards overlooking Lake Geneva is a place that can seem an unlikely setting for the preparation of future church leaders. And yet the WCC's Ecumenical Institute at Bossey has been a unique international centre for Christian dialogue and learning for six decades, since its creation in 1946.

The 11 October killing in Mousel, Iraq, of a Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch priest, Father Boulos Iskander, was a "senseless crime that... neither benefits anyone nor promotes the cause of any religion".

In a letter congratulating South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-Moon on his election 13 October as United Nations secretary-general, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia notes the Korean's "rich experience" as international diplomat and civil servant, assures him of the Council's prayers and support, and emphasizes that reform of the United Nations is an "important task" facing the new UN head.

Learning of the death on Friday 13 October of Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Ephesus, WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia pays tribute to the former WCC president and senior representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in a tribute addressed to the ecumenical patriarch, Bartholomew I.

The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Grameen Bank's creator Muhammad Yunus not only recognizes his "creative genius in promoting his concept of microcredit, but also testifies to the fact that genuine economic and social development has to grow from below if it is to be accessible for the people," the World Council of Churches (WCC) said today in a congratulatory message.

A 10 October World Council of Churches (WCC) pastoral letter to the National Council of Churches and WCC member churches in the Philippines expresses the Council's "deep shock and grief" over the brutal stabbing on 3 October of Philippine Independent Church Bishop Alberto Ramento, and alleges that Philippines government security forces continue "to indulge in victimization, torture and extra judicial killings on the pretext of fighting the terrorist threat in the region" in spite of protests and demonstrations.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has congratulated the sponsoring states of a draft resolution on conventional arms control currently before the United Nations General Assembly and urged them to include in the text a specific reference to international human rights law.

As news on the North Korean nuclear test is breaking on 9 October, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia asks for the response to be peaceful, lawful and collective.

"You have challenged and pushed us never to adjust to the powers that are, but always to discern the signs of God's coming kingdom and to act accordingly."

"The World Council of Churches (WCC) calls for the prompt and unqualified recognition of His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus III as the primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem by the Government of Israel," said WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a letter sent to Israel's prime minister Ehud Olmert on 29 September.

The WCC welcomes three young people (aged 18-30) to serve as interns in its Geneva offices. Successful candidates are people committed to the ideals of the ecumenical movement, who will bring their energy, commitment and fresh vision to a specific work assignment.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will continue to offer pastoral accompaniment to the relatives of a group of imprisoned people known as the "Cuban Five", and will advocate for the relatives' right to visit them.

A consultation of leaders of World Council of Churches (WCC) member churches in the Pacific and representatives of three ecumenical bodies in the region has decided to bring the region's three major ecumenical organizations together under one common ecumenical umbrella.

By Alexander Belopopsky (*)

The International Day of Prayer for Peace is being marked by dozens of churches and organizations worldwide on 21 September. The day is an opportunity for Christians and their communities in all regions to pray, reflect and act together in support of peace. This WCC initiative was launched two years ago within the framework of its Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV), and was welcomed by UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. Its celebration coincides with the UN International Day of Peace. The theme for this year, "and still we seek peace", was chosen by churches from Latin America - the region of the DOV annual focus in 2006. A special prayer service is being held on 21 September at 12.15 in the Ecumenical Centre, 150 Route de Ferney, Geneva.

By Stephen Webb (*)

By Stephen Webb and Yannick Provost (*) [Corrected version of the interview distributed on 11 September]

 Free picture available, see below

The coordinator of the stewards programme at central committee says he is in that position because he himself was inspired by being part of a similar programme seven years ago.

Towards the end of its meeting, two applications for admission into the WCC fellowship were received by the central committee according to new rules adopted at the WCC's 9 th Assembly in Brazil. The two churches are the Lao Evangelical Church, and the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil.