Clergy and congregations are being asked to celebrate the life and animal welfare work of William Wilberforce this Animal Welfare Sunday (Sunday 7 October 2007).

A conference at Oxford University this week, will examine the links between animal abuse and human violence.

The Rev Professor Andrew Linzey, the first person to hold a chair in theology specifically related to animal issues, has been made inaugural director of the Ferrata Mora Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics (OCAE) - a pioneering academic institution in a hotly contested area.

Christians are being urged to mobilize against animal cruelty this week as churches around the country celebrate Animal Welfare Sunday.