Welcome to our weekly round-up of outlandish and inane information collected from the corners of the charity sector.

Doves of peace cause bust-up

Here in the UK, there's a worry in the voluntary sector that, thanks to measures such as the Lobbying Act, it will soon be against the rules for charities to criticise anyone at all.

But our outspoken cousins in Italian civil society are still shouting loudly – at no less a figure than the Pope.

This week, the Italian equivalent of the RSPCA, known as ENPA, put the boot into the pontiff after he released two doves in St Peter’s Square.

The doves were released to symbolise peace and harmony, but the imagery was spoiled a bit when they promptly both got into fights with other birds – a gull and a crow. The doves came off worst, and ENPA has asked the Pope to stop the practice.

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Why did the packet of condoms get left on the photocopier?

One of Society Diary’s favourite dad jokes features a fellow wandering around the office asking this very question. The answer, apparently, is to prevent reproduction.

This random recollection is prompted by a revelation earlier this week from Sleaford and District branch of Cats Protection, which posted a picture of a pair of out-of-date Xtra Pleasure condoms on its Facebook page.

“We are always very grateful to the people who generously donate items to us,” a presumably somewhat baffled staffer wrote. “This is the latest item found in donated goods. To be kept for when the neutering budget runs low?”

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Some people are gay

Sexual equality charity Stonewall appears less-than-impressed with a group called the Core Issues Trust (CIT).

The Trust wanted to run bus adverts which read: “Not gay! Ex-gay, post-gay and proud. Get over it!”

The adverts were banned, purportedly at Boris Johnson’s direct behest, but the CIT has won a High Court victory this week in a drive to have that ban overturned. TfL will now have to consider the Trust's request all over again.

The ads were a direct response to those run by Stonewall, which read: “Some people are gay. Get over it!”

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, as usual failed to mince his words. "This is voodoo gay cure therapy," he said.

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Finding, er… Neil

Congratulations to Rethink Mental Illness, which this week successfully helped schizoaffective disorder sufferer Jonny Benjamin track down the man who saved his life.

Benjamin was poised to jump off Waterloo Bridge in 2008 when a passing stranger intervened. Last month, Benjamin and Rethink launched the Finding Mike campaign to find that man and thank him.

It turned out to be 31-year-old Neil Laybourn from Surrey, whose financee spotted the story. The two men have now met up and will remain in contact.