Anglican, Catholic, Free Church and Orthodox leaders in England are asking parish churches and local congregations throughout the country to pray for ‚Äòthe little town of Bethlehem' as they approach the final week of Advent ‚Ä' the Church's season of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
South African Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu says it is distressing that Israel blocked a planned mission by him and British professor Christine Chinkin to investigate the killing of 19 Palestinian civilians by Israeli shells - writes Peter Kenny for Ecumenical News International.
Church and civic leaders in Bethlehem, together with the Anglican and Catholic bishops of Jerusalem, have welcomed the plans by UK church leaders to make an Advent pilgrimage to Bethlehem - which is facing isolation, depopulation and economic collapse due to the Israel-Palestine conflict and the presence of the separation wall.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) international policy committee has sent a message to the American government urging Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to increase efforts with the international community to establish peace, stability and political reform in Lebanon.
England and Wales Catholic Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor and Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams have announced plans for an Advent visit to Bethlehem and East Jerusalem, reports Independent Catholic News.
Renewed violence in the Gaza Strip has exacerbated the humanitarian situation in a territory Palestinians call the "world's largest prison", say church and human rights organizations - writes Chris Herlinger for Ecumenical News International from Gaza City.
Presbyterians in the United States are being urged to celebrate a week of prayer and witness next year in support of Christians in the Middle East - writes Evan Silverstein for PC (USA) news.
Some 25 theologians from all over the world will gather on 5-8 December 2006 in Cret-Berard (near Lausanne, Switzerland), to discuss why and to what extent the persistence of cruelty can be considered as an important theme for theological reflection.