Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is a huge and valuable theologically-rooted ethical resource, says Simon Barrow, reporting on a new CST website. Despite areas of significant debate / disagreement in the bio-ethical sphere, and necessarily tough questions about the Church's performance and stance in a number of areas, CST is a huge contribution to human social understanding and moral discourse, both within and well beyond Catholic institutions.

Ecumenism, which seeks global church unity, is in need of new energy, top Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican leaders have said.

The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue and the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation of Tehran are meeting from 9 to 11 November.

Catholic bishops in the Middle East have urged the UN to take steps to end Israel's occupation of Arab territories to enable a "two-State" solution for the region.