The openly gay US bishop whose consecration in 2003 polarised the worldwide Anglican Communion, says he believes that one day the Church will regret its rejection of homosexuals the way that it now regrets its past support for slavery.

Claimed tension and hostility between religion and gay people is considerably over-emphasised by out-of-touch faith leaders, suggests new research from the campaigning equalities group Stonewall.

The body which seeks to provide an umbrella for Evangelical Christians in the UK has criticised some Evangelicals for seeking to define who can or cannot be considered an Evangelical in terms that are 'too narrow'.

Great emotion greeted the decision this evening by the General Synod of the Church of England, its governing body, to confirm the Church’s intention to consecrate women as bishops – a historic move following women's ordination in 1994.