An inter‐denominational organization of Christian Churches, created in 1948. Apart from the Roman Catholic Church and the Unitarians, the Council includes all the major and many minor denominations and nearly all the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Since 1961 the Roman Catholic Church has sent accredited observers. The World Council of Churches is the most important of a number of ecumenical movements advocating greater unity amongst the Christian Churches. Most of the work of the Council is advisory, but it also has a number of administrative units; the largest of these is the division of Inter‐Church Aid, Refugee, and World Service.