A bishop and a member of Parliament are to debate the values that underpin the financial sector and the role of the Church in changing it, later this week.

The Catholic Church in the Philippines is having significant success in its campaign against mining as the Church of England seeks to profit from the companies who operate there.

A report launched today in the UK will call for a moratorium on new mining in the Philippines. The Church of England however has a substantial investment in the companies which the report challenges.

The Church of England faced further gloom over its investments this morning, as a major hedge fund it has invested in was rocked by a late September slump.

The main British party conferences were about to sidestep the economy, but the latest bank crunch has made the topic unavoidable, says Simon Barrow. But do politicians or the churches have anything meaningful to say?