Christian Today staff writer

Meghan Markle joins Queen for Westminster Abbey Commonwealth service
Meghan Markle joins Queen for Westminster Abbey Commonwealth service

Meghan Markle joined the Queen at Westminster Abbey for a church service to mark Commonwealth Day on Monday.

On Pope Francis's 5th anniversary in the role, Benedict XVI lavishes praise on his successor
On Pope Francis's 5th anniversary in the role, Benedict XVI lavishes praise on his successor

The former Pope Benedict XVI has said there is an 'inner continuity' between his pontificate and that of Pope Francis, and praised his successor as a 'man of profound philosophical and theological formation'.

Pupils should be taught value of abstinence and celibacy, says Church of England
Pupils should be taught value of abstinence and celibacy, says Church of England

The value of abstinence and celibacy should be taught to pupils in sex education as part of an approach that helps them turn away from a 'distorted' view of sex and develop 'dignity and respect,' the Church of England has said.

Church of England priest guilty of 'spiritual abuse' against teenage boy is banned from ministry
Church of England priest guilty of 'spiritual abuse' against teenage boy is banned from ministry

A Church of England priest has been banned from ministry after being found guilty of 'spiritual abuse' against a teenager.

Christian-owned zoo hits back after professor attacks it as 'blatantly creationist'
Christian-owned zoo hits back after professor attacks it as 'blatantly creationist'

A row has broken out between an eminent professor, writer and broadcaster and an award-winning British zoo which holds a creationist position on the beginning of the world, which it says is 'much younger than 4.5 billion years'.

Former Irish president Mary McAleese: Paedophile priest Malachy Finnegan abused my brother
Former Irish president Mary McAleese: Paedophile priest Malachy Finnegan abused my brother

The former Irish president Mary McAleese has opened up about how her younger brother was 'seriously, physically and sadistically abused' by a deceased Catholic priest who is at the centre of recent publicity in Northern Ireland.

Congregation applauds priest threatened over predecessor's abuse
Congregation applauds priest threatened over predecessor's abuse

A parish priest in Northern Ireland has received threats telling him to 'get out of town' following publicity about a separate priest in the parish who died in 2002 and has recently been revealed as a paedophile.

Chess master Nigel Short attacked for mocking rival's Christianity
Chess master Nigel Short attacked for mocking rival's Christianity

A British chess grandmaster is under fire after mocking a rival's Christianity.

Lightning strikes Adventist church in Rwanda, killing 16
Lightning strikes Adventist church in Rwanda, killing 16

At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured when lightning struck a Seventh-Day Adventist church in Rwanda on Saturday, an official said.

Muslims hide in church in Central African Republic in fear of lives
Muslims hide in church in Central African Republic in fear of lives

More than 1,000 Muslims have been hiding from a hostile militia inside a Roman Catholic Church at a compound in Bangassou, Central African Republic.

Bodies of 21 Christians murdered by ISIS in Libya to be returned to families
Bodies of 21 Christians murdered by ISIS in Libya to be returned to families

The bodies of 21 Christians infamously beheaded on the Libyan coast in February 2015 are to be returned to their families three years after their deaths, according to the persecution website World Watch Monitor.

Turkey Catholic Church suffers second attack this year
Turkey Catholic Church suffers second attack this year

A Catholic church in Trabzon, Turkey has suffered its second attack this year. A gun-attack this week followed a failed pipe bomb at Saint Maria Catholic Church; there have been no causalities but locals have warned that anti-Christian hate crimes are on the rise, with little concern from authorities.

Serbian Orthodox Church plans controversial nationalist rename
Serbian Orthodox Church plans controversial nationalist rename

The Serbian Orthodox Church plans to change its name to stress connections with Kosovo, the former Serbian province that gained independence in 2008. The controversial move is seen as clashing with the Serbian government's conciliatory efforts with Kosovo.

Belgian Catholic baptisms in major decline amid rise of evangelicals and Muslims
Belgian Catholic baptisms in major decline amid rise of evangelicals and Muslims

For the first time, fewer than 50 per cent of Belgian children were baptised as Catholics last year, according to figures from the Belgian Bishops Conference in cooperation with the University of Louvain and reported by Evangelical Focus.

Christian couple had children removed over their refusal to lie about the Easter Bunny
Christian couple had children removed over their refusal to lie about the Easter Bunny

A child welfare agency in Ontario, Canada removed two girls from a foster home, causing potential trauma, because the Christian couple who cared for them refused to lie about the existence of the Easter Bunny.

Are jailed Britain First leaders Jayda Fransen and Paul Golding Christians?
Are jailed Britain First leaders Jayda Fransen and Paul Golding Christians?

Jayda Fransen, 32 and Paul Golding, 36 – jailed 36 weeks and 18 weeks respectively – both claim to be practising 'Christians'.