Leading evangelical Christian celebrity Sir Cliff Richard, who is now aged 67, thinks the church should be supportive of committed gay relationships and says he is sick of intrusive speculation about his own sexuality.

A pastoral delegation sent by the World Council of Churches to Georgia and Russia in the wake of the bitter conflict there has not been able to get safe passage to visit South Ossetia from the Georgian side of the ceasefire line.

Black church leaders have joined health experts in welcoming findings from a new opinion poll showing widespread public opposition to adding the DNA of innocent mental health patients to the National Criminal DNA database.

Religious groups will have their capacity to participate alongside others in regional policy-making in England enhanced thanks to the new Regional Networks Support project, says Faithworks, which has established the initiative.

The World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation have called on the Prime Minister of India requesting his intervention to end the violence in the state of Orissa. They are also backing Christian prayer and solidarity.

Those who defend discriminatory practices for faith schools are losing the argument on principle, in terms of community cohesion and on the research evidence about standards, says Andrew Copson. Let's open schooling up for all.