Bishop warns adoption charity

The Bishop of Lancaster has threatened to split with an adoption charity if it allows same-sex couples to become parents.

Patrick O’Donoghue, the highest-ranking Catholic in Lancashire, will sever church ties with the charity if it complies with changes to equality laws.

From January it will be illegal to discriminate against gay couples that wish to adopt.

The Bishop said the Catholic Caring Services will disobey the Church’s teachings on homosexuality if it complies with the new laws and could not call itself Catholic “unless you have fully exhausted all possible legal alternatives.”

O’Donoghue also warned that the charity could also be disqualified from any financial contributions from the Diocese.

Black History Month in Lancaster

No events in Lancaster will be marking Black History Month this October.

Lancaster was the fourth busiest port in the UK for the transatlantic slave trade.

For over 30 years Black History Month has been celebrated across the UK every October to highlight and celebrate the achievements and culture of the black community.

As part of Litfest, Bernairdine Evaristo will read from her book Blonde Roots, a satirical reversal of the slave trade in which Africans are the masters are the slaves, Friday 10 October.