A Roman Catholic archbishop who questioned the legitimacy of Pope Francis and portions of the Second Vatican Council has been excommunicated from the Catholic Church for the canonical crime of schism.
"Bringing a disabled child into the world is not a tragedy to be avoided," General Synod heard.
General Synod begins on Friday and it looks as if the "new spirit of generosity and pragmatism" which Bishop Martyn Snow recently identified is going to be in short supply.
An outspoken critic of Pope Francis, the Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan, said that while Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò's public opposition of the pope "is irreverent and disrespectful," the Vatican should think twice before excommunicating him.
Pope Francis has made artificial intelligence one of the main issues of his pontificate.
It has become an established tradition, in the run up to the Church of England's General Synod for various interested parties to publish open letters or articles setting out their position. This year is no exception.
"It's a like a meeting of every poorly behaved kid in church, and they stuck them all in a room and they thought it would be a good idea."
The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales is urging people to get out and vote ahead of the general election on 4 July.
The pope used the Italian term 'frociaggine,' a rarely used derogatory word to describe flamboyant gay attitudes.
The Free Church of Scotland has expressed "sorrow" over the "historical sins" of members of the denomination in relation to slavery.
The Pioneer church network has issued a "heartfelt and sober apology" after an independent review concluded that late founder Gerald Coates' behaviour had fallen "significantly short of expected standards at the time".
The Church of England is spending millions of pounds on mission and evangelism projects in a bid to get more children and young people through parish doors.
Once left only to local bishops, the Vatican doctrinal office will now have the ultimate say on apparitions, miracles and the supernatural.
