A controversial Austrian priest has agreed that Pope Benedict should revoke his appointment as a bishop in Austria, after his promotion led to a storm of protests because of his extreme views.

The election of former Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo as president of Paraguay is a further sign of a left-wing shift in Latin America, according to long-term observers of the region's sometimes volcanic political scene.

A former Catholic bishop who has campaigned vigorously for the poor has won Paraguay's presidential election to end more than 60 years of monopoly rule by the party that once backed vicious dictator General Alfredo Stroessner.

The Anglican Bishop of Taiwan and one of his senior priests say they are saddened by the failure of the electorate on the island to pass two referendums asking whether Taiwan should enter the United Nations.

A bishop in Paraguay has been suspended by the Vatican after he declared his intention to run as a presidential candidate in the country's 2008 elections.

The auxiliary bishop of the Chaldeans in Baghdad, Shlemon Warduni, has called on fellow-believers to “continue to pray for peace across the world and today especially in Iraq” following the execution of former dictator Saddam Hussein at 6.10am today.

The Vatican has issued a strong statement against the episcopal ordination of Fr John Wang Renlei on 30 November 2006, at Xuzhou in the province of Jiangsu, China.