Justin Welby has abandoned his support for civil partnerships for heterosexual couples

U-turn will anger both Tory backbenchers and campaigners who argue heterosexual couples should be able to enter civil partnerships as an alternative to marriage

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Leaving Alexandria, By Richard Holloway

This excellent memoir crystallises current debates on the church, homosexuality and women's ordination.

Census figures show Christianity in sharp decline while belief in Islam dramatically increases

More than one in 10 under-25s in the UK now describe themselves as Muslim

Ministers ‘work’ for God, not for Methodists: Members of the church exempt from employment laws

Ministers working for the Methodist Church are effectively exempt from employment laws because they work for God and are not employees, Britain’s highest court has ruled.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien

Shamed Catholic Cardinal Keith O'Brien leaving Scotland 'for penance time' following inappropriate sexual conduct revelations

Cardinal Keith O’Brien is to leave Scotland for several months after admitting improper sexual conduct, the Vatican has confirmed.

Canterbury Cathedral was founded in 597

Canterbury Cathedral faces closure unless it can find £10m for repair bill

Landmark may be closed to visitors after National Lottery Fund rejects appeal for cash

David Cameron and President Obama will discuss a US-EU trade deal

David Cameron US visit: Staying in EU could benefit Britain by £10 billion annually, says PM, as he holds talks with US President Barack Obama

David Cameron will today confront his Tory critics by making the positive case for continuing European Union membership as he holds talks with President Barack Obama over a giant US-EU trade deal that could provide a £10bn annual boost to the British economy.

John Sentamu has announced an inquiry into Church of England sex abuse allegations

Archbishop of York John Sentamu launches probe into Church of England sex abuse allegations

Accusations against former Dean of Manchester Cathedral, who died in 2007

Paperback review: The Cleaner of Chartres, By Salley Vickers

Fans of Salley Vickers's appealing mix of psychological acuity and religious appreciation will have few complaints here, because this novel traces territory familiar to previous works such as Miss Garnet's Angel or Mr Golightly's Holiday.

Portfolio: Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii

The true colours of Tsarist Russia revealed

Final chapter: Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda lie in the Catholic cemetery in Rockville

The Great Gatsby: F Scott Fitzgerald's novels are read by millions, but he was buried in near anonymity

Out of America: The last resting place of the 'Great Gatsby' author is a long way from the Jazz Age glamour of his novel, now back on screen

Children release balloons as part of a gathering outside a community meeting at Immanuel Lutheran Church held to talk about the kidnapping of Michelle Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry by neighbour resident Ariel Castro

Cleveland kidnappings: The captives are free - but the streets will never be the same

Ariel Castro’s neighbours lament the lack of community and failure to recognise anything amiss

Former Archbishop of York accused of covering up allegations of Church of England abuse

Lord Hope was made aware of accusations against the former Dean of Manchester, Robert Waddington, in 1999 and again in 2003

The new Archbishop should stop this gesture politics

It is about time the Church became serious about politics. The debacle over its opposition to the Government's welfare reform programme offers the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, a God-given opportunity to totally reshape the role of bishops in the House of Lords.

Marion Cotillard as she appears in a scene from the new David Bowie video, directed by Floria Sigismondi, for his latest song, The Next Day.

David Bowie's controversial ‘The Next Day’ video ‘mistakenly’ removed from YouTube

The latest music video from David Bowie, which shows the performer dressed as Christ alongside Gary Oldman as a debauched priest and Marion Cotillard as a prostitute, was ‘mistakenly’ removed from YouTube due to its graphic content.

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Elmbridge pays more income tax than big cities of the North
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