A senior church leader in Hindu-majority Nepal will serve on a committee to monitor a ceasefire hammered out with Maoist rebels, part of the Himalayan nation's progress to peace and full democracy ñ writes Anto Akkara for Ecumenical News International.

Christians in Nepal have held a thanksgiving service in Kathmandu following steps towards the restoration of democracy to the Himalayan kingdom, after several weeks of mass public demonstrations.

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is among the church organisations which have welcomed recent efforts to restore a democratic system in Nepal, urging parties to that country's internal conflict to demonstrate a continuing commitment to justice by respecting the human rights of all people.