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By Stephen Webb (*)

In a volatile global context, the massive migration of people around the world has a deep impact on societies and churches, and poses fundamental questions for ecumenical relationships and responsibility, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) stated in his report to the organization's main governing body.

The resolution of the Middle East crisis will be achieved through addressing the root causes of injustice, not through violence or by attacking children.

World Council of Churches' (WCC) general secretary the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has called for a comprehensive ecumenical response in seeking lasting peace in the Middle East.

The gathering of the new WCC central committee, the 55th session since the Council was established in 1948, represents a diverse and colourful cross-section of the Christian world. Young pastors and lay people sit alongside venerable archbishops and monks, all appointed to represent their churches and serve for the coming seven years on the WCC's main governing body.

"Praying for peace is an essential part of Christian worship and, indeed, of human existence," says World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia about the International Day of Prayer for Peace, to be celebrated on 21 September 2006.

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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.

A joint appeal signed today by the leaders of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) calls "upon Israel and Hezbullah to end the fighting in Lebanon" and "upon the United States, the European Union, and the Arab States to exercise their influence toward this end". It also calls "upon the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas to end the conflict in Gaza".

An exploration of changes in church and society since 1966 will be a central feature of the forthcoming meeting of the World Council of Churches' (WCC) central committee - the WCC's main governing body between assemblies.Â

An appeal to "do whatever is possible to stop the bombings, negotiate a cease-fire and a comprehensive peace settlement" has been addressed today by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia to "the leaders of the international community, especially to those from the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom".

Reconciliation is at the heart of the ecumenical vision, and can be a source of unity among churches and cultures, the WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, has affirmed at an international Methodist gathering in Korea.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia encouraged the Council's member churches to pray for all those suffering as a result of the Middle East crisis, to support the appeals for emergency aid and to speak out for justice among the states and peoples in the region.