A day of Christian prayer in Australia has been hit by the politics of the Middle East and the war fought by Israel in Gaza.
Some "conservative" Christians are boycotting the annual World Day of Prayer because this year's service has been devised by Palestinian Christians.
Between 10 and 20 churches in the ACT and New South Wales are believed to have pulled out of the event which is set for 6pm on Friday.
The World Day of Prayer is a long-standing annual event where Christians from different countries devise a service to be held, ostensibly in unity, by Christians of many denominations, including Anglican and Catholic.
But the organisers in Canberra and NSW say that there has been reluctance to take part this year because of the Palestinian connection.
The president of World Day of Prayer in NSW/ACT, Judith Barton, said that normally 200 to 220 congregations across the state and territory would take part but she reckoned that 1 to 2 per cent had pulled out.
The organiser in Canberra said that some "conservative" Christian groups had withdrawn.
"It's very sad," the Reverend David Campbell, head of the ACT Churches Council, said.
The council has members from many denominations including Anglican and Catholic. Reverend Campbell is the minister at the Presbyterian Church of St Andrew's in Forrest.
He is dismayed by what he sees as a boycott of prayer. "There are no no-go areas for prayer", as he put it.
He feels particularly strongly because he used to live in Northern Ireland during "the troubles" when Catholic and Protestant were often at each other's throats - literally.
Friday's service in Canberra will take place at the Wesley Uniting Church at 20 National Circuit in Forrest this evening.
The choice of Palestinians to devise the form of the prayer ceremony was made years before the massacre by Hamas in October, and the resulting war which has divided opinion everywhere so poisonously. Last year's service was devised by Taiwanese Christians. Next year's will be devised by Christians in the Cook Islands.
The Biblical theme for this year's ceremony is: "I Beg You, Bear With One Another in Love".
The organisers in Australia said that the World Day of Prayer steers clear of politics. "We are trying to divorce ourselves from taking sides," Judith Barton said.
The organisers were trying to persuade reluctant churches to participate, she said. They were being told that they could tailor the service to avoid any parts they objected to.
The Palestinian Christians in Australia group says: "The Palestinian Christian women who wrote this worship service have invited the world to pray for peace, justice and freedom of religion and freedom of movement.
"Their prayers specifically call us to pray with women, refugees, persons experiencing homelessness, and all who are sick, dying and grieving. They also call us to confess to our collective role in causing the climate crisis, and to commit to repairing what we have destroyed.
"Finally, they call us, the global church, to be united in treating all with justice and love."
The war in Gaza has already riven other Australian organisations, from the ABC to the Melbourne Writers' Festival.
