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Grief over the many deaths and the devastation caused by recent floods in Pakistan, as well as appreciation for the relief work provided by the Diocese of Peshawar of the Church of Pakistan, was expressed by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in letters to the government and the church.

"Great dismay" at the shooting and killing of two young Christians in Faisalabad on 19 July was expressed by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit in letters to Pakistan's president and its prime minister.

World Council of Churches (WCC) current and incoming general secretaries have highlighted honesty in dialogue as the basis of meaningful interfaith encounters.

The election of a new general secretary for the organization and the selection of the venue for its next assembly were highlights of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee meeting that ended yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland.

The WCC Central Committee called on the government of Pakistan to “guarantee the rights of all religious minorities in the country”.

The World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia appealed to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari to "ensure the safety and security" of Christians in the Punjab province, where three attacks against Christian communities were carried by militant Islamic groups in the last two months. He demanded that the government "take necessary actions against the perpetrators".

At a time when the international community is re-kindling the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons, the North Korean nuclear test is a source of profound concern, stated the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia.

An international ecumenical consultation has appealed to the government of Sri Lanka and the rebel movement Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to halt fighting in order to free tens of thousands of civilians trapped in a war zone in the north of the country.

"Heartfelt congratulations" were expressed to the recently elected moderator of the Church of Pakistan, Bishop Samuel Azariah, in a letter by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia.

By Henrik Hansson (*)

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.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions has been welcomed as a "humane and historic victory" by the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia. Commenting on the signing of the convention in Oslo, Norway today, Kobia congratulated the more than 100 signatory countries and reiterated the need for states that have not yet done so - including the United States, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Israel and Zimbabwe - to "sign and support this timely arms control and humanitarian initiative".

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.

"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.

In Liberia, Sierra Leone and South Africa, churches have played a major role in reconciliation between groups who had been in violent conflict with each other for decades. Two international ecumenical teams sent by the World Council of Churches (WCC) will visit the three countries during the next two weeks.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has said that "one of the greatest problems facing the world today is religious extremism."

By Naveen Qayyum (*)

In the comfort of a simple Swedish meeting room, 25 Christian and Muslim women met to talk about how religion, which is often blamed to cause violence, can move people toward peace.

Clement John, 66, former staff of the World Council of Churches (WCC), died on Monday, 2 June. Shocked by the news of John's death the WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia praised him as "an outstanding advocate in the international struggle for human rights" and "an ecumenical pioneer". John "was never reluctant to speak the truth" and "stood firm for justice and strove for peace", Kobia wrote in a tribute release today. An accomplished lawyer from the Church of Pakistan, John was a member of the WCC staff from 1993 to 2006. "His intellect and profound concern are reflected in almost every aspect of the public witness of the WCC", Kobia affirmed.

Firsthand reports on the extraordinary development of Christianity in Nepal and the growing need for improvements in theological education and participation in the ecumenical movement were all part of recent consultation on the future of theological education in South Asia.