Whatever the church does must be done with mercy.

"The climate right now is causing disasters and making it difficult for people to live wholesome, decent lives."

Such hardened hearts often were behind the persecution of innocent men and women seeking to follow God's will.

"That there are over 20 million people callously held in modern slavery in our world today is a mark of deep shame on the face of our human family."

Once a cherished pilgrimage site, much of the St. Elian monastery had been reduced to a pile of stones.

The society said its legal status in the church wasn't discussed but that lower-level talks would continue "without haste."