“The state must not tell churches who should be ordained, for example. But the hiring of a physics teacher for a church school is hardly a comparable decision, and when churches claim that it is they succeed only in demonstrating that their commitment to social justice is a selective one.”

(Editorial, The Age (Australia))

“According to His Holiness, Harriet Harman’s Equality Bill on how it’s not okay to discriminate against gay people (or old people, or black or disabled people for that matter) “violates natural law”, which is code for saying “we want all the benefits of living in a society where religious freedoms are protected, just as long as we don’t have to afford those protections to others.”

(Martin Salter, The Times)

“In normal circumstances, a dictatorial head of state who brooks no criticism, treats women as second-class citizens, regards homosexuality as an aberration, causes thousands of children every year to be born into grinding poverty by his opposition to contraception, and who has encouraged the spread of HIV by opposing condoms, would be regarded as a pariah. In the case of the Pope we are supposed to be grateful that he has deigned to grace this country with a state visit. We should make it clear to the "holy" father that in a secular, liberal, European democracy his views are wholly unacceptable and that he is not welcome.”

(Ian Richards, Independent)

“This week the pope made another of those statements which almost suggest he has got his scripture mangled with the Daily Mail.

(Editorial, The Guardian)

"I love the Pope, I love seeing him in his Pope-Mobile, his three feet of bullet proof plexi-glass. That's faith in action folks! You know he's got God on his side."

(The late Bill Hicks, comedian)

(Ian Bell, The Herald)

(Adam Wakelin, Leicester Mercury)

An attack by the Pope on the Government’s Equality Bill sparked a major reaction in Britain this week, as outrage was expressed at the Vatican’s blatant attempt to interfere in this country’s domestic politics.

Secularists are alarmed at the news that the BBC’s piously Catholic Director General, Mark Thompson, has been in “high level discussions” at the Vatican about how the BBC will cover the Pope’s visit to Britain in September.

The NSS has now made an official complaint about Mrs Blair’s potentially discriminatory decision to the body that oversees judicial behaviour, the Office for Judicial Complaints.

The Catholic Church has yet again used a legal manoeuvre to try to delay payment of compensation to victims of a sex abuse at a Catholic-run children’s home in Market Weighton, near York.

A Catholic school in Shropshire has been issued with a “notice to improve” after receiving a damning report from Ofsted inspectors who gave it the lowest possible mark.

A new study in the United States shows that Catholic students who attend Catholic colleges and universities are more likely to move away from the faith than have their faith strengthened.

If you want to know how religion is gobbling up taxpayers’ money, take a look at this parliamentary question from last week in the House of Commons.

It's been a busy week for us in the media

Your emails and letters to Newsline.