Bishops from the worldwide Anglican Communion have been experiencing hospitality visits and prayer retreats in advance of the formal element of the Lambeth Conference, which is meeting on the campus of the University of Kent.

Pope Benedict XVI, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, has told Australians he is deeply sorry for the sexual abuse of children by some Catholic priests and has said that those responsible must be brought to justice.

A German church has far exceeded its initial expectations in so far distributing more than 200,000 black bracelets intended as a symbolic protest against human rights abuses in China during the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Daleep Mukarji, the director of UK-based international development agency Christian Aid, has been awarded the OBE in recognition of a long career dedicated to working for the elimination of poverty worldwide.

Amid much media speculation, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has encouraged Anglican bishops on retreat in preparation for the full proceedings of the Lambeth Conference next week to look for common ground.

Nelson Mandela, who played a crucial role in ending apartheid in South Africa, is 90 today. After a series of public appearances around the world over the past few weeks, he will spending the day at home with his family.