News

Trump sacks Rex Tillerson and replaces him with 'Christian zealot' Mike Pompeo
US President Donald Trump has sacked his secretary of state Rex Tillerson and replaced him with a 'Christian zealot' Mike Pompeo, who is currently head of the CIA.

British mosques overlooked in conservation efforts, Historic England warns
British mosques have been overlooked in conservation efforts, the heritage body Historic England said, as it announced that two mosques would be granted official status as listed buildings.

Jill Duff, evangelical with oil industry background, appointed bishop of Lancaster
The Rev Dr Jillian (Jill) Duff, the director of Mellitus College, North West, has been appointed as bishop of Lancaster in the diocese of Blackburn.

Meghan Markle joins Queen for Westminster Abbey Commonwealth service
Meghan Markle joined the Queen at Westminster Abbey for a church service to mark Commonwealth Day on Monday.

On Pope Francis's 5th anniversary in the role, Benedict XVI lavishes praise on his successor
The former Pope Benedict XVI has said there is an 'inner continuity' between his pontificate and that of Pope Francis, and praised his successor as a 'man of profound philosophical and theological formation'.

Disney CEO apologises to Mike Pence after Joy Behar says hearing from God is a form of 'mental illness'
"The View" co-host Joy Behar has come under fire for criticising the faith of United States Vice President Mike Pence and for saying that hearing from God is a form of "mental illness."

Justin Welby backs calls for university tuition fees to be scrapped
The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has strongly criticised cuts to councils' spending which has left them 'really struggling to meet a whole range of needs' and called on churches to open their doors to rough sleepers in response.

Pupils should be taught value of abstinence and celibacy, says Church of England
The value of abstinence and celibacy should be taught to pupils in sex education as part of an approach that helps them turn away from a 'distorted' view of sex and develop 'dignity and respect,' the Church of England has said.

Bishop claims he was 'scapegoated' over child sex abuse allegations
A bishop said he was 'scapegoated' and 'traduced' by fellow senior clergy as the damning extent of dysfunctionality and chaos in the diocese of Chichester was laid bare at the independent inquiry into child sex abuse today.

Church of England priest guilty of 'spiritual abuse' against teenage boy is banned from ministry
A Church of England priest has been banned from ministry after being found guilty of 'spiritual abuse' against a teenager.

Christian-owned zoo hits back after professor attacks it as 'blatantly creationist'
A row has broken out between an eminent professor, writer and broadcaster and an award-winning British zoo which holds a creationist position on the beginning of the world, which it says is 'much younger than 4.5 billion years'.

Church of England faces fresh calls to bless same-sex couples
The Church of England is now facing multiple calls to bless same-sex couples after bishops appeared to kick the issue into the long grass.

'A Vicar's Life': Is this really a picture of the UK church?
BBC2 has just completed a six-part series in a behind-the-scenes look at the state of the Church of England in rural Herefordshire.

Former Irish president Mary McAleese: Paedophile priest Malachy Finnegan abused my brother
The former Irish president Mary McAleese has opened up about how her younger brother was 'seriously, physically and sadistically abused' by a deceased Catholic priest who is at the centre of recent publicity in Northern Ireland.

Bishop admits 'hunch' about paedophile priest but says he was powerless to stop him
The Church of England's 'toothless' monitoring of paedophile priests means abusers could go on leading services even after being officially barred from ministry, an inquiry heard today.

Mary Magdalene review: Jesus through a woman's eyes
Everyone knows who Mary Magdalene is â the repentant prostitute who became one of Jesus' most devoted disciples.