Organisers of the Global March for Jesus said that millions of people in 170 countries took part in marches in more than 2000 cities on 25 May.

The annual march, which was first held in London nine years ago, and became a global event in 1994, draws most of its support from Evangelical Churches and organisations, but many members of other Churches also take part.

The organisers said this year that the march's success in the United States, where a total of a million Christians took to the streets in cities and towns across the country, was due to the simplicity of the project's vision.

"All the marches are focused on Jesus, with no other competing agendas," the US organisers said.

The project's biggest gathering was in Sao Paolo, Brazil, where, organisers said, two million Christians marched through the city.

Before the global march took place, it received support from the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, who said: "I hope and pray that, through your witness for Christ, your own faith will have been strengthened, and that, through the impact of this march, many people will be drawn to follow the One who means so much to us."