The Scottish denominations are launching a £500,000 appeal to transform Scottish Churches House into a modern conference and hospitality centre which will carry forward a long tradition of radical thinking and outward social engagement.

Nigerian Methodist Archbishop Michael Kehinde Stephen has been chosen to moderate the Continuing Committee on Ecumenism in the 21st Century, a group assigned to monitor and encourage initiatives in a global quest for Christian unity.

After four days of meetings, some 240 leaders of a broad range of churches, confessions and interchurch organizations from over 70 countries agreed to carry forward what they call "the Global Christian Forum process" - an open dialogue platform.

Students of theology and young theologians are being invited by the World Council of Churches to bring new perspectives to the debate about the future of the ecumenical movement through an essay competition for the WCC's 60th anniversary.

Catholic and Orthodox Christians are moving towards unity, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics declared at the end of his recent general audience in St Peter's Square, Rome. The Pope announced an international commission on the issue.

Dialogue in the quest for Christian unity has proved to be immensely valuable in the United States and globally but may have hit a plateau, a leading Catholic cardinal has said during the commemoration of a US ecumenical milestone.

A year ago a call went out to US filmmakers who may not have thought about religious cooperation before to produce short films on the same issues facing those working for Christian unity. It has proved a big hit.

A new document authorised by Pope Benedict XVI restating Roman Catholic views that Protestant denominations are not churches "in the proper sense" has been criticised as setting back the quest for Christian unity.

After a visit to Sudan which included discussions with political and religious leaders in Khartoum and Juba, an African interfaith delegation has called on the international community to honour its political and financial pledges to sustain Sudan's peace process.