Senior Roman Catholic clerics from Africa meeting in Rome this month are confronting the problem of priestly celibacy on the continent, according to sources close to the Vatican.

Human rights campaigners in Zimbabwe believe they have a 50:50 chance of seeing the rights of gay, lesbian and bisexual people protected in the country's new constitution. This would overturn existing Zimbabwean law.

The Quakers have become the first major denomination in Britain to endorse same-sex marriage, putting themselves in conflict with the law. Their example is an inspiration to people in other denominations struggling for equality.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will make decisions on issues related to human sexuality at its 2009 Churchwide Assembly from 17-23 August in Minneapolis.