The Vatican has been accused of evading its responsibilities over child abuse and trying to distract attention from its crimes by accusing other faiths of having even worse records.

Protests are already being planned for the visit of the Pope to Britain next September. The National Secular Society says it will organise a campaign to make clear to the Pope that whatever celebrations the Government lays on for him, he is not welcomed here by everyone.

Psychiatrists should stop offering homosexuals therapies that promise to change their sexual orientation, say secularists.

The National Secular Society congratulates the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) on its thirtieth anniversary, which is being celebrated at an event next week at the Bishopsgate Institute in London.

Churches and religious organisations should fund their own presence in hospitals, says the National Secular Society, after it discovered that chaplaincy services are costing the National Health Service more than £32million.

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s plea for more religion on the BBC is not supported by viewers.

The NSS doesn’t want nurse Petrie sacked. Her skills and commitment are not in question. But we do want her to understand that she cannot use her privileged access to the homes of private individuals as a pulpit, and the disciplinary hearing should elicit from her a promise that she will not repeat this.

The news that a fireman in Scotland who refused to hand out safety leaflets at a gay pride event had reached an out of court settlement with his employers was greeted with dismay by the National Secular Society today.

The economic downturn is being seen by the churches as an opportunity for them to bring people back to religion. Vicars are reporting more bums on pews, priests are telling us that mass attendance is rising.

Islington Council (in north London) has won its appeal today against a ruling that it unlawfully discriminated against a Christian registrar who refused to perform same-sex civil partnerships. The National Secular Society has hailed as “a victory for common sense”