In the early hours of Tuesday 9 September 2008, volunteers from Christian charity Housing Justice counted 206 people sleeping rough in the London Borough of Westminster - highlighting the continuing seriousness of the problem.

The general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, the Rev Mvume Dandala, is encouraging mass voluntary testing for HIV by undergoing a personal test for the virus, and encourages other religious leaders to do the same.

Speaking at a pastoral congress in Germany, Cardinal Martino deplored the prejudice and hatred being meted out to Romany and travelling people (often called "gypsies") in many parts of Europe, and called on churches to support them.

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.

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.

A Polish priest has defended his decision to allow his parish to be used to advertise and recruit staff for a new Tesco hypermarket, despite previous church criticisms of the UK retail giant.

German churches' practical experience with confronting the issue of domestic violence will play an important role in a Peace Declaration of the World Council of Churches planned for 2011.

Should parents who choose to treat their children's illnesses with prayer rather than medicine be charged with abuse, neglect, or even manslaughter when their children die? Shawn F. Peters explores the issues.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has said that the government should close the discrimination loopholes for religious organisations involved in public service provision, and should ensure that all services are fully inclusive.