James Macintyre

• Annual Stephen Lawrence Day announced at memorial church service 25 years after teenager's racist murder

  There will be an annual Stephen Lawrence Day to be held on the anniversary of the teenager's murder, 22 April, the prime minister has announced. Theresa May made the announcement at a memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the racist murder that shocked Britain and led to the Metropolitan police being described as institutionally racist, the Guardian reported.

• There is nothing to celebrate this St George's Day: Englishness has become toxic

  Has the nation really changed, and what do we mean by nation anyway?

• Archbishop of York says police still need to learn about 'institutional racism' 25 years after Stephen Lawrence murder

  John Sentamu has said that the Macpherson report which concluded the police were 'institutionally racist' following the murder of Stephen Lawrence 25 years ago today needs to be 'revisited' by every police force to prevent ongoing failures.

• 'I try to be optimistic, but it is difficult': The real story of what life is like for Christians in Iraq

  In order to understand the plight of Christians in modern-day Iraq, it is important to go back not just to 2014, when Islamic State forced on them a brutal choice between dying, converting or fleeing the northern city of Mosul, but further: to the 2003 US-led invasion of the country.

• Exclusive: Theresa May is 'not behaving like a Christian' and should consider resigning, says David Lammy

  Systemic racism is in the government as well as much of society and Theresa May, who 'is not behaving like a Christian' over immigration, should consider resigning, the campaigning MP David Lammy has said.

• Vatican rejects German bishops' proposal to allow Protestant spouses to receive Communion

  The Vatican body, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has written a letter reportedly with the approval of Pope Francis to German bishops rejecting their proposal to allow some Protestant spouses to receive Communion, various Catholic news outlets reported.

• Russell Moore blasts US evangelicals more concerned with politics than 'good news of Jesus'

  Leading Southern Baptist Russell Moore has said that US evangelicals are often more focused on the process of selecting presidential candidates than 'the good news of Jesus Christ' and called for the church to 'thrive on the margins'.

• Top Scottish bishop says Catholic Church is own worst enemy

  A leading Scottish Catholic bishop has claimed that the Church may be its own worst enemy when it comes to spreading the gospel, in the wake of a priest in his diocese being jailed for child sex abuse.

• May accused of 'neo-colonialism' by bishop for backing gay rights in Commonwealth speech

  A bishop from Trinidad has accused UK prime minister Theresa May of 'neo-colonialism' for saying she 'deeply regrets' Britain's historical legacy of anti-gay laws across the Commonwealth as its 53 leaders gathered in London for their annual summit.

• 'God has a dad's heart': Pope Francis in emotional encounter with boy who's non-believing father died

  Pope Francis had a moving encounter on the outskirts of Rome yesterday with a young boy whose father had died and who wanted to know if his dad would go to heaven as he was a 'good man' despite being a non-believer.

• Detained US pastor Andrew Brunson says 'I want truth to come out' as trial begins in Turkey

  The American pastor Andrew Brunson yesterday denied allegations of links to a group accused of orchestrating a failed military coup in Turkey, at the beginning of a trial that will now be delayed for three weeks.

• The cost of war versus the cost of inaction: Why Christians are divided on Syria

  The sceptical majority is backed by not only most – though not all – Quakers, who are traditionally pacifist, but also the Methodists, the Church in Wales, Syrian church leaders and, according to some reports, Pope Francis.