Geneva (ENI). Ecumenical News International and Washington-based Religion News Service (RNS) have launched a shared-content agreement to distribute selected stories from each others' newswires.

Beginning 21 April, ENI subscribers will have access to select RNS religion stories, and RNS subscribers will have access to select ENI stories.

"The agreement between ENI and RNS means both news agencies will now have access to more news relating to global religion," noted Peter Kenny, ENI's editor-in-chief. "ENI subscribers will get an expanded coverage of news from RNS playing on its strength in North America, and we aim to enable RNS readers to have greater access to news from ENI's global correspondent network."

RNS stories that are included in ENI's daily output will be designated as ENI-RNS. ENI stories that are included in the RNS Daily Report will be designated RNS/ENI.

"Our agreement with ENI will allow us to provide even more extensive coverage of important religion stories to our subscribers, at no additional charge," said RNS editor Kevin Eckstrom. "Content-sharing agreements like this are becoming more prevalent, and it makes sense for both RNS and ENI to leverage their relationship, and their commitment to quality religion journalism, for the benefit of all our subscribers."

• See ENI or RNS for the complete story

Glendora, California -- The Worldwide Church of God announced that, effective April 3, 2009, it changed its denominational name to Grace Communion International. Although the church's official, incorporated denominational name has changed, it nonetheless retains ownership of the United States Registered Trademark "Worldwide Church of God" and continues to license that name to those of its local congregations across the country who wish to use it.

The denomination, founded by Herbert W. Armstrong in 1934, was originally called the Radio Church of God. It became the Worldwide Church of God in 1968.

After Armstrong's death in 1986, the church re-examined its doctrines and teachings. This process led to a complete reformation to Christian orthodoxy by the mid 1990s. The evangelical denomination is now a member of the National Association of Evangelicals with church president, Joseph W. Tkach, serving on its board.

Members, pastors, national directors and missions directors from around the world were included in the name selection process, which began in late 2005. After all factors and criteria were considered, the Church Board and its Advisory Council of Elders settled on the name "Grace Communion International." Denominational leaders believe the new name better describes what the church has become and will serve it more effectively in the future.

The church's message now centers on Trinitarian, Incarnational theology and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. By 1995, the church had abandoned its former legalistic doctrines, exclusivist teaching, and prophetic speculation and has been warmly embraced by the Christian community. The church sees itself in full communion with the greater Body of Christ and a participant in the collective effort to proclaim the gospel of grace.

"Grace lies at the heart of our values and mission as a transformed church. Our spiritual unity with God and with one another is reflected in the word Communion. The word International identifies us as a unified body of believers who span the globe, sharing a common history and journey of faith," said denominational president Joseph W. Tkach. "We are a church that God radically transformed. Our new name is consistent with that transformation and aptly describes what God has made of our fellowship."

United States congregations who wish to continue to use the name Worldwide Church of God will be able to do so, and some of our non-U.S. National Churches will as well. However, they will all be part of the denomination named "Grace Communion International." The denominational website, currently www.wcg.org, will eventually be moved to the domain name www.graceci.org.

Grace Communion International has about 42,000 members worldwide, meeting in nearly 900 congregations. Denominational offices are in Glendora, California. The denomination publishes the free magazine Christian Odyssey and produces several video programs available on its website.

[Sophia Kishkovsky • Moscow • ENI] Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, an Oxford-educated cleric who served as the Moscow Patriarchate's representative to European organizations in Brussels, has been appointed as head of the Russian Orthodox Church's Department of External Church Relations.

The appointment was made on 31 March at the first meeting of the church's synod of bishops chaired by Patriarch Kirill I since his enthronement in February 2009.

As metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Kirill himself led the church's external relations department for nearly 20 years until he was elected patriarch on 27 January following the death of Patriarch Alexei II in December.

Anatoly Krasikov, director of the Centre for Religious and Social Studies of the Institute of Europe in Moscow, described Bishop Hilarion as "a vivid personality", and said the decision "is a gain for the church".

"It shows that Kirill is not afraid to have a strong person next to him," Krasikov told Ecumenical News International. He also noted that Kirill had been a strong personality alongside Alexei.

Hilarion, who is 42, has a doctorate in philosophy from Oxford, and was also educated as a classical musician and composer. In the 1990s, Hilarion served under Kirill in the external relations department.

He is a member of the central committee of the World Council of Churches, and also serves as the Russian church's bishop of Vienna and Austria.

The synod also appointed the Rev. Vsevolod Chaplin, currently the deputy chairperson of the external relations department, to head the new Department of Interrelations of Church and Society. In March, Chaplin expressed vocal support for Pope Benedict XVI's criticism of the use of condoms to stem the spread of HIV.

Commenting in the Russian media, analysts noted that by creating a new department with some functions similar to the external relations department, Patriarch Kirill has ensured that he will remain unquestionably in charge.

In 2008, several prominent priests proposed Hilarion as a candidate to head the Orthodox Church in America, an independent offshoot of the Russian church then hit by high-level financial scandals. Hilarion declined the offer.

Earlier in his ministry, he became embroiled in controversy when he was sent as an assistant bishop to London and came into conflict there with Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, a revered leader of the Russian church in Britain, who died in 2003.

Bishop Hilarion will be watched closely for his handling of relations with the Roman Catholic Church. Critics of Kirill have stepped up their attacks on the new patriarch, who they describe as an agent of Rome.

Krasikov, who reported from the Vatican as a correspondent for the Soviet-era Itar-Tass news agency, dismissed these charges. "It may be the reverse; Benedict may be declared an agent of Kirill," he said. "The Catholics have problems and are counting on support from the Orthodox." Krasikov recalled a conference in 2000 at which Hilarion, then still only a priest, spoke in tough terms about Catholic proselytism in Russia among other issues, while a message from Kirill to the conference was seen as being much more positive.

In other decisions at the synod's meeting, Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, who was Kirill's competitor in the recent elections to the patriarchal throne, was transferred from his post as the patriarchate's property manager to head its publishing department. Observers are interpreting this as a demotion.

Vladimir Legoyda, a layperson and editor of Foma, a glossy church magazine, was appointed chair of a newly created information department.