Karlsruhe (dpa/lsw) - The chairwoman of the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Annette Kurschus, hopes for a clear sign of peace from the general assembly of the World Council of Churches in Karlsruhe. "Christ's love does not tolerate aggressive wars," said Kurschus on Wednesday at the start of the multi-day meeting of more than 4,000 Christians from different denominations. "The love of Christ is not sentimentalism," said President Kurschus. It is a practice - energetic, daring, courageous, resistant.

The World Council of Churches sees itself as a fellowship of around 350 churches representing more than 580 million people worldwide. The General Assembly is its highest decision-making body. It is taking place in Germany for the first time.