Loving thy neighbour comes with strings attached. Jesus taught Christians to forgive the person who wronged them; trading anger and retaliation for trust, tenderness and a rebuilt relationship. Of course, these instructions are easier said than done. The sobering reality upsets Rev. Leonel Narvaez, a Roman Catholic missionary priest from Colombia. "It causes me great sadness how we Christians know so little about forgiveness and reconciliation — especially when these things are at the core of our faith."

Government questions surrounding the application of Muslim or Sharia law in legal family arbitration has women's groups calling for the removal of such practices from the 1991 Arbitration Act. The Canadian Council of Muslim Women is leading the dispute, saying all Ontarians should be under one law (in this case, the Family Law Act), and that allowing Sharia law will infringe upon women's equality in custody battles, property disputes and other marriage separation matters.

People of faith in the Malvern neighbourhood of Scarborough, Ont., are working together to make the often troubled community a better place. The second installment of Celebrate Us brought together Presbyterians, Anglicans, Pentecostals, Muslims and Hindus at Malvern's Wickford Trail Park for a family day in August. "No matter what your culture or language, you're welcome here," said Habeeb Ally, the event's MC and disc jockey of an Islamic talk radio program. "We're here to promote peace, love and harmony among ourselves and celebrate our diversity in a grand way."

The national conference for Elders and Lay Leaders in Edmonton was such a tremendous success that General Assembly unanimously approved a mandate to continue the pre-Assembly training sessions over the next five years. There was a record attendance of more than 150 people at the June 4th event at Dayspring, Edmonton.

St. Andrew's, Ottawa, proudly displayed their support of the Make Poverty History campaign by hoisting a 20-foot white banner. Located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, just minutes from the Parliament buildings, the church was the perfect place for Presbyterians to tell the federal government they want more foreign aid for impoverished countries. Members of the congregation are pictured at the unveiling in June.

VisionTV is jumping onto the reality TV bandwagon with its new production, Gospel Challenge. Described as a lifestyle/documentary series, the show will give aspiring Canadian gospel singers a chance at their big break.

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has invited Pope Benedict XVI to visit the Holy Land, in another sign of warming ties between the Jewish state and the Holy See.

An enormous church centre that will serve at least 15 churches is under construction in an Amsterdam suburb. The Candlestick Project, which broke ground in Bijlmer on July 6, will have five worship areas in its building catering to the needs of different and diverse faiths such as Greek Orthodox, Ghanian and Iranian. The centre will also house a nursery, apartments, offices and a café. It is due to be completed in 2007.