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The World Council of Churches Assembly, meeting at Porto Alegre, Brazil, has called for churches "to act together for transformation of economic injustice". The call, in the form of a prayer, invited Assembly participants to recommit themselves to work for the eradication of poverty and inequality, for justice in international trade relations, for responsible lending and the control and regulation of global financial markets.

Religious leaders from two hemispheres discussed the edges where cultures and civilizations clash during a 9th Assembly press conference Wednesday afternoon. Metropolitan Kyrill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad and Rev. Dr Mvume Dandala each noted challenges in an increasingly globalized world.

Since the World Council of Churches' 9th Assembly is taking place in Latin America, the issue of poverty assumes absolute priority for all who worship and follow Jesus.

A festa da vida - a Portuguese phrase meaning "the feast of life" - was the key-note on Wednesday in general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia's report to the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches. "The festa da vida", Kobia told participants in an afternoon plenary session of the Assembly, is "an invitation to reach out to those we know and to those whom we don't yet know".

A divided church voice cannot offer a credible witness in a broken and violent world, and cannot stand against the disintegrating forces of globalization, the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) was warned today.

Up to 60 people gathered for the pre-Assembly meetings of the Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network (EDAN) in Porto Alegre. Held from February 11-13, the meetings drew together people with personal experience of disability for discussion and reflection.

Christians and Muslims should work together to "put out the fire" caused by the controversial publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed, according to Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches.

The first Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in the 21st century opens in Porto Alegre, Brazil, today, 14 February, under the theme "God, in your grace, transform the world".

Music, drums and drama marked the opening plenary session of the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches. Declaring the Assembly open, WCC moderator Catholicos Aram I remarked that it was the first time an Assembly had been held in Latin America, and referred to the record number of young people attending.

Indigenous people from around the globe have had a special place the church for much of its life but, all too often, place has been destructive of their physical, spiritual and cultural heritage as the first nations of the colonized world. Seen as objects of mission rather than people of the living God, these first nations are now represented in the 9th Assembly through the Indigenous Peoples Programme.