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A pastoral delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC) will visit Russia and Georgia from 3 to 7 September. The delegation will listen to WCC member churches in both countries, encourage their efforts for peace and visit people displaced by the recent violence as well as church aid programmes.

Jointly issued by WCC and CEC

At a time when the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople - today's Istanbul - is facing growing hardships imposed by decisions of the Turkish judiciary, members of the worldwide ecumenical family have expressed support and solidarity to His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Expressing "great sorrow" at the news of the death of His Beatitude Patriarch Teoctist, head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, who passed away on Monday, 30 July 2007, at the age of 92, the World Council of Churches' (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia paid the following tribute to "a beloved father of his people, a prominent Christian leader of our times and a committed friend of the ecumenical movement".

"Make me a channel of your peace" was the theme for a celebration of common commitment to overcome violence at a gathering of Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and Protestant church representatives on 17 February in Wittenberg, Germany.

High-resolution photos available - see below

Having witnessed at first hand the terrible toll on civilian populations as well as the destruction caused by the current conflict in the region, the three members of an ecumenical pastoral delegation returning from a 10-15 August visit to Beirut and Jerusalem will report on their experiences at a

Entrusted with the mission of expressing global ecumenical solidarity with churches and people affected by the current conflict in the Middle East, a three-member ecumenical pastoral delegation composed of representatives of the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the Catholic Bishops' Conference of France, and the World Council of Churches (WCC) today left Cyprus by boat en route for Beirut.

"We very much welcome what churches in Europe are saying about this avoidable crisis: diversity of religion enriches Europe," said Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia today.