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During her first visit to the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, the president of the Focolare movement Dr Maria Emmaus Voce invited the staff of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and other ecumenical organizations to live out the words of Jesus Christ so "that they give us that unity which bears witness to God in the world."

In one of the most far-reaching theological curriculum reforms worldwide, the Senate of Serampore College in Madurai, India has developed a curriculum based on three pillars: contextual education, interdisciplinary dialogue and social relevance.

Representatives of churches in Iraq confirmed their commitment to work together with all Iraqi citizens for reconciliation and rebuilding peace in the country.

In a letter congratulating Metropolitan Kyrill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad on his election as the new patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia expressed the appreciation of the worlwide ecumenical fellowship for this "outstanding Orthodox theologian, leader and hierarch".

Equal participation and shared responsibility in society are at the basis of a peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims, stated participants at an inter-religious symposium in Tehran, Iran last week. They highlighted the value of learning from each other's faith and criticized "irresponsible media".

The Mumbai terrorist attacks and an IMF agreement that will negatively impact the poor set the tone for a World Council of Churches (WCC) Living Letters team visit to Pakistan from 24 November to 1 December.

With "deep sadness" the officers of the World Council of Churches (WCC), who were meeting in Geneva this week, received word of the death of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, Alexy II.

Rediscovering the testimonies of Christian faith men and women of different Christian traditions gave over the centuries was the goal that brought some eighty participants from a variety of traditions and countries to the Italian monastery of Bose this autumn.

The myth according to which host countries are "victims" of migration needs to be challenged, as in fact their economies benefit from the exploitation of the migrants' work.

The Joint Working Group between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches (WCC) has began to pursue two study processes on how churches can make their own the outcomes of ecumenical dialogues - the so called "reception process" - and on the "spiritual roots of ecumenism".

Religious freedom and interreligious dialogue will be on the agenda of an international ecumenical delegation visiting Pakistan from 24 November to 1 December. The group will discuss how churches can help ease political and religions tensions with representatives from churches, the Muslim community and government officials.

"It is impossible to preach God's love in Jesus Christ while being silent about the effects of such a grave humanitarian catastrophe," a group of church leaders told D.R. Congo President Joseph Kabila in Kinshasa yesterday.

"Please remind the world that we are no longer at war," a high-ranking government official from Sierra Leone told an international ecumenical team visiting churches and ecumenical organizations in Liberia and Sierra Leone from 2 to 8 November.

A delegation of church leaders from Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has set out to meet the presidents of the latter two countries in order to convey them a strong message in favor of peace.

To achieve reconciliation takes nothing less than the transformation of society, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia said in Managua, during a 2-5 November visit to Nicaragua.

By Fredrick Nzwili (*)

In a recent consultation in the Philippines, indigenous theologians and representatives from various continents have vowed to strengthen their solidarity in continuing a dialogue with each other and with the World Council of Churches (WCC) in envisioning a more inclusive church and society.

Leaders of Sri Lanka's Buddhist majority expressed divergent views on resolving the ethnic conflict in their country, while speaking to a delegation led by Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches.

The plight of people displaced by war will be the main topic of a " Living Letters " visit to Uganda, 27 October to 2 November. An international ecumenical delegation sent by the World Council of Churches (WCC) will discuss with representatives of churches, state and civil society about the protection of refugees, with a specific focus on sexual violence and the vulnerability of children.

Jointly issued by the WCC and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches