Geoffrey Chapman transformed Catholic publishing in the 1960s, combining business acumen with an ability to harness the winds of change blowing in the Church. Thanks to his skills, India and Anglophone Africa were able to benefit from the new liturgical and catechetical books he was able to produce at remarkably low cost.

Pope Benedict XVI is looking into organising a private meeting with victims of clerical abuse during his upcoming state visit to Britain later this summer.

One of Australia's most senior archbishops has apologised to victims of sexual abuse by priests, condemning the behaviour and the Catholic Church's failure to properly deal with the problem. Denis Hart, Archbishop of Melbourne, sent the message to all churches in more than 200 parishes in the southern state of Victoria.

Pope Benedict XVI condemned raids by Belgian police investigating sex abuse by priests as "deplorable" and asserted the autonomy of the Catholic Church to investigate abuse.

The Vatican says it is astonished and outraged that Belgian police investigating priestly sex abuse conducted raids that also targeted the graves of two archbishops.

Police raided the home and office of the recently retired archbishop of Belgium yesterday, carrying off documents and a personal computer as part of an investigation into the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests, officials said.

The Church of England's two most senior bishops have called on fellow Anglicans to embrace the Christian mission and not "fight shy" of converting people from other faiths. In an uncharacteristically evangelical statement from a church that has tended to avoid overt proselytising in recent decades, Dr Rowan Williams and Dr John Sentamu said Christians should not feel "embarrassed or awkward" about bringing others towards Christianity.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu became the latest critic of England's poor World Cup performance today, describing their showing as "perfectly abysmal".

It was the sound of South African history. More than 50,000 vuvuzelas trumpeting a wind of change and unity in Soccer City as South Africa got the continent's first World Cup off to an exciting and entertaining start.

The World Cup kicked off today with a breathtaking visual spectacular at the opening ceremony in South Africa.

People living in immense suffering cannot be forced to forgive their enemies, but helping them do so is the best way to bring about lasting peace, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said yesterday.

The 25th anniversary of the Bradford City fire disaster, which left 56 football fans dead, will be marked today with a series of special events in the city.

The shroud of Turin allowed Pope Benedict XVI a rare moment of reprieve from the raging clerical child sex scandal yesterday as he prayed before the relic after performing open air Mass with some 25,000 faithful in the Italian city. "The Holy Shroud eloquently reminds us always of the one who was crucified and who has shared our suffering," the pontiff said.