A New Zealand gay man is taking a bishop to a Human Rights Tribunal after being rejected from training as a priest.

Eugene Sisneros, an events coordinator at St. Matthew in the City church, is claiming the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, Ross Bay, won’t let him into the priesthood because he’s gay, and in a long-term relationship with a man.

Still grieving the loss of her mother, Carla Hale was fired from her job as a high school physical education teacher - after 19 years - because the name of her lesbian partner had appeared in her mother's obituary.

But she is fighting her dismissal from Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus, Ohio, and has tremendous public support from students, former students, parents and even the mayor of Columbus.

Archbishop Piero Marini, the chamberlain to former Pope Benedict, has said the Catholic Church is changing and called for civil unions for gay couples.

Marini, who was a senior official for the conservative Benedict, recognized ‘same-sex couples need civil rights and civil unions. But we can not call them “marriage”’.

Speaking at a bishops’ meeting in Costa Rica, Central America, Marini commented also on the new Pope, Francis: ‘Now we can breathe fresh air, the church is changing.’

Thousands are calling for a fired lesbian coach to be reinstated after her Catholic school discovered her sexuality through her mother's obituary.

An online petition, supported by teachers and alumni has received more than 10,000 signatures.

Carla Hale was fired from Bishop Watterson high school by the Columbus Diocese in Ohio over her sexuality.

France’s top Catholic bishop has warned legalizing marriage equality will breed more violence in the country.

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois told a meeting of French bishops the law, which has been passed by both the National Assembly and the Senate, was a sign society had lost its capability to respect different views.

The archbishop of Paris said the difference between the sexes was a basic human trait and denying it by legalizing marriage equality and adoption for same-sex couples would weaken society further.

The head of the Church of England Justin Welby has called for the Church to disagree ‘gracefully’ over divisive issues including gay marriage.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, who wasted no time in speaking out against gay marriage equality on his first official day in office this year, today gave an interview calling for Anglicans to demonstrate to society they can agree to disagree.

The Bishop Mark Davies will warn that the UK stands at a ‘crossroads’ over the issues of gay marriage, abortion and euthanasia during his Easter service at Shrewsbury.

He will say tomorrow (31 March) that the country risks ‘falling into darkness’, marginalize Christianity, leaving people unable to ‘distinguish between good and evil’, revealed a report by the Shropshire Star.

Liverpool Anglican Bishop James Jones has broken ranks with other senior Church of England clergy to call for blessing services to be offered to same-sex couples in civil partnerships.

‘Over the years I have shared with you my thinking about how the gospel of embrace may be felt by those who are gay,’ Jones said in an address to the Diocese of Liverpool Synod.

Simeon Hall, a Bahamas Bishop, said that spousal abuse, incest and rape in families causes gayness which is apparently is on the rise in the Caribbean islands state.

Hall stated ysterday (24 February)  that the family structure must be overhauled to prevent a ‘homosexual avalanche’ in the Bahamas.

He was quoted in the Tribune 242 as saying: ‘Strong, loving functional families are the last bastion against the homosexual avalanche.

Thomas Paprocki, Catholic Bishop of Springfield, Illinois slammed Catholics supporting marriage equality, saying they are helping to destroy the family.

In a special speech to honor Valentine's Day and discuss the meaning of love, the Bishop also said that being gay is a 'condition' that can be dealt with through a 'life of chastity'.

The speech was timed ahead of tomorrow's planned debate of Illinois Senate that is tipped to approve marriage equality legislation

ProGay Philippines has spoken out against a court's decision yesterday to sentence a tour guide to a year in prison for 'offending religious feelings'.

Carlos Celdran was found guilty of violating a 1930 law which ProGay Philippines say is 'archaic and defeats equal protection of free speech rights'.

Religious leaders spoke to a Senate hearing on Thursday to defend their exemptions in Australia's new Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill.

The Bill controversially includes exceptions for religious organizations, effectively allowing them to discriminate against sexual orientation and gender identity minorities.