AGIOS ANDREAS, Greece (AP) Envoys from the Vatican and Orthodox churches plan to revive efforts to close their nearly 1,000-year-old divide and seek ways to allow a historic trip to Russia by Pope Benedict XVI, a Roman Catholic official said Friday.

Athens (ENI). An Anglican priest who runs a network of African

religious leaders who have tested positive for HIV has urged

churches to end an "absolute fixation with sex" that stigmatises

those who live with the virus.

Athens (ENI). The head of the (Orthodox) Church of Greece has

urged a united Christian response to political and ethical issues

after members of his own denomination lashed out at his church

for helping organize a Christian unity conference being held near

Athens.

AGIOS ANDREAS, Greece — A pastor in Lesotho urges his congregation to get tested for HIV infection. A Nigerian activist has counseled Roman Catholic priests with AIDS. An Anglican minister who is HIV positive speaks of how the pandemic in Africa might help reclaim Christianity’s spirit of compassion.

The head of the World Council of Churches spoke with members of the 12-person Holy Synod of the Church of Greece and other hierarchs yesterday in a meeting that coincided with the one of the largest gatherings of church representatives and mission organizations in the 21st century.

Athens (ENI). There are just 18 coloured glass beads on the bracelet that resembles worry beads so popular in Mediterranean countries. But these are "Pearls of Life" and intended to help focus on prayer as well as meditation. They have become a surprise best-seller for the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden.

AGIOS ANDREAS, Greece - A pastor in Lesotho urges his congregation to get tested for HIV infection. A Nigerian activist has counseled Roman Catholic priests with AIDS. An Anglican minister who is HIV positive speaks of how the pandemic in Africa may help reclaim Christianity's spirit of compassion.

[ENI] An increasingly globalized world, marked by religious diversity and tensions between faiths means that Christians need to reconsider the way they relate to other believers, a world meeting of Christian leaders in Athens has been told.

ATHENS — Understanding is the first step on the road to reconciliation. That is one of the messages that will be carried home by Christian youth from around the world after a week of conversations and reflections on the themes of mission, reconciliation and healing.

ATHENS, Greece (ENI)—A top Vatican official said on May 12 that formal dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is about to be “restarted,” and predicted that relations with the Russian Orthodox Church will improve under newly-elected Pope Benedict XVI.