Staff writer

Shift to online services is helping to reach those outside the Church - report
A major new report on the impact of the pandemic on Scottish churches has found doors opening to those who previously did not attend.

Church was right to be strict in coronavirus response, says Archbishop of York
The Archbishop of York has defended the Church of England's response to the first national lockdown last year and the order to churches to close.

Most opposed to places for bishops in House of Lords - poll
Over half of Brits think that there should not be reserved places for Church of England bishops in the House of Lords.
Pope calls for fair access to vaccine on Easter Sunday
The Pope has used his Easter message to call on the international community to help people in poorer countries receive the vaccine.

'Choose a better future,' says Archbishop of Canterbury in Easter sermon
The Archbishop of Canterbury says the world should not go on as it did before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Police break up Good Friday church service
Police said they halted a church service in London on Good Friday because worshippers "were clearly not socially distanced".

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick thanks Christians for their efforts during the pandemic
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has thanked Christian and other faith communities for all they have done to support the Covid-19 effort after a challenging year.

Supreme Court refuses to hear Pippa Knight case
The UK Supreme Court has refused to hear the case of a 5-year-old girl whose life support doctors want to turn off.

Franklin Graham's views on marriage cannot be characterised as 'extremist', says court
The court also rejected the claim that Graham's views on marriage were "extremist".

Christian actress fired over gay Facebook post to appeal
A Christian actress sacked over a 2014 Facebook post on homosexuality is to appeal after an employment tribunal sided with her former employers.

Bishop challenges the BBC on its religious broadcasting
A Church of England bishop has called on the BBC to be more imaginative in its religious broadcasting.

Church of England shifts safeguarding focus from apologies to survivor support and culture change
The Church of England has said it will continue to apologise over historic safeguarding failures but wants its "main focus" now to be on "recognising the distress caused particularly to victims and survivors and acting to improve its safeguarding structures and to change its culture."

Parents can give consent for minor children to take puberty blockers
The High Court has ruled that parents can give consent to puberty blockers on behalf of their minor children.

Justin Welby defends free speech in Prophet Muhammad school row
The Archbishop of Canterbury has waded into a row over a teacher's suspension after he allegedly showed his class a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.

Secretly marrying Harry and Meghan before Windsor wedding would have been 'a serious criminal offence' - Archbishop
The Archbishop of Canterbury has broken his silence on claims by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex that he married them in secret three days before their Windsor wedding.

Easter prayer call after Indonesia church bombing
Christians are being called to pray for their fellow believers living in persecution hotspots after Sunday's bomb attack on an Indonesian cathedral.