A South African church-backed group that helps former combatants involved in violence during the apartheid era to play a peaceful role says its life skills programme is needed helping a country undermined by violent crime.

At a church service in Jerusalem on Sunday, Christian leaders called for an end to 40 years of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and emphasized the church's commitment to non-violence in the service of peace.

Plans to mobilize churches around the world for peace have been approved by the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee.

The prospect of a nonviolent uprising against Robert Mugabe appears to be increasing by the day in Zimbabwe, fulfilling a call made two years ago, by a Catholic Archbishop.

The new Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church USA celebrated the life of the Rev Dr Martin Luther King in her first official service in the Diocese of New York this week - at St Ann's Church in the Bronx, on 15 January 2007. She stressed the difficult call to radical non-violence as a key Christian vocation arising from his legacy.

Following a tradition of Christian non-violent resistance to oppression, a senior Church leader in Zimbabwe has openly called for a peaceful uprising against President Robert Mugabe.