Staff writer

Meghan Markle receives outpouring of support from children's charity
Meghan Markle received an outpouring of support and affection today from a children's charity amid reports that she is extremely distressed at the prospect of her father not attending her wedding to Prince Harry on Saturday.
Bodies of 20 Coptic Christians beheaded in Libya arrive back in Egypt
The bodies of 20 Egyptian Christians beheaded in Libya by Islamic State in 2015 were flown back to Cairo on Monday, Egyptian state television reported.

Ramadan 2018: When does it start, and why do Muslims observe it?
This evening marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, the annual time for Muslims around the world to celebrate the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Mohammed.

Pope Francis auctions custom-made Lamborghini to raise money for Iraqi Christians
Pope Francis has auctioned off his custom made Lamborghini, raising nearly $1million for charity at an auction in Monaco on Saturday.

Gay dean offers olive branch to Lord Tebbit after 'sodomite' slur
The gay cleric, who was the subject of Lord Tebbit's ire after he was appointed dean of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, has said he bears no 'ill feeling' towards the former Conservative party chairman.

Vatican puts Iraqi priest, deacons killed in Mosul on the road to sainthood
The Vatican has granted permission for the opening of the sainthood cause of an Iraqi priest and three deacons who were murdered by armed gunmen in Mosul 11 years ago.

Can Mormon Mitt Romney still become US president after labelling Baptist Pastor Robert Jeffress a 'bigot'?
The extent to which evangelical leaders' support will continue to influence who occupies the White House after Donald Trump was tested today after senate candidate Mitt Romney of Utah said that Baptist minister Robert Jeffress should not be giving the opening prayer at the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem because he's a 'religious bigot'.

Leading UK evangelical Andy Frost on how to get your Christian faith out of church and into the street
The leading British evangelical Andy Frost has spoken of how he became aware of God's 'promptings' during a formative experience when he had a chance encounter with a homeless woman selling the The Big Issue last year.

At least 41 Palestinians killed at Gaza border as anger mounts over US embassy move
At least 18 Palestinians were today killed by Israeli troops along the Gaza border, health officials said, as demonstrators streamed to the frontier on the day the US prepared to open its embassy in Jerusalem.

Christians must be allowed to wear crosses at work, new guidance insists
Christians must be allowed to wear crosses at work, new government guidance will insist.

Christians should be confident and unapologetic in 'a hostile and increasingly secular world', says Sarah Mullally
Christians should be confident and unapologetic in speaking about their faith in 'a hostile and increasingly secular world', the new bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, has said.

Sarah Mullally installed as 133rd Bishop of London at St Paul's Cathedral
Dame Sarah Mullally has been installed as the 133rd bishop of London at St Paul's Cathedral â becoming the first woman to hold the post.
Chilean bishops to face Pope Francis in Rome over clerical abuse scandal
More than 30 bishops from Chile's Roman Catholic Church have said they will meet next week with Pope Francis in a bid to make amends over damage caused by the clerical sex abuse scandal that has long dominated the Chilean Catholic Church.

Church leaders brand 'America First' as 'heresy', plan White House march
Christian leaders are set to march on the White House this month as part of an ecumenical movement aimed at 'reclaiming Jesus'.

Andrew Brunson's lawyers protest 'outlandish' evidence brought against US pastor
Lawyers defending Andrew Brunson, the US pastor jailed in Turkey, have protested the treatment of his case by the court, expressing 'serious concerns' about the evidence presented by the prosecution, and opposing the refusal to release Brunson to house arrest.

Paige Patterson apologises for 'failure to be thoughtful'
Paige Patterson, the under-fire president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has apologised for comments that have seen thousands of Southern Baptists call for him to be disciplined by his denomination.