Churches will fail in their mission if violence goes unabated in strife-torn Sri Lanka, a Roman Catholic bishop in the country has warned. He also backed the World Council of Churches' work on peace-building.

A Russian priest has 'blessed' a new missile system at a deployment ceremny broadcast on national television, raising questions about church-state relations, the arms trade and the civilian impact of a supposedly defensive weapon.

In response to massive human suffering in Iraq, the US ecumenical relief and development agency Church World Service is mounting a two-pronged effort aimed at providing essential services for vulnerable children.

Two Japanese popular associations have condemned what they say is a military-inspired "deliberate murder attempt" against a Christian minister who serves as the co-leader of the Citizens Coalition for Peace in Japan.

Gordon Brown has said he will shut down the main government overseas arms sales office – at least in its present form. Peace campaigners want this to signal a more basic shift away from the promotion of military exports.

Heads of the historic churches in Jerusalem have welcomed the Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum launched in Jordan last week. They want to work with those of all faiths and none to achieve a breakthrough in the deadly stalemate.

Christian Aid has this week urged Gordon Brown, who becomes British Prime Minister next week, not to make the same mistakes in the Middle East as Tony Blair.

The quiet demise of mass nonviolent protests in Iraq is rarely mentioned by the media or analysts, says Tim Nafziger. How different could things have been if nonviolent demonstrations by Iraqis had been widely covered and taken seriously?