137 people have died in Ukraine and 316 are injured after missile strikes near Kyiv, the Donetsk region in the east, and Odesa in the south. Chernobyl is said to have been seized. Last night, the Ukraine President said Russians had entered Kyiv. Russia says it is targeting military sites not cities. Boris Johnson announced a ban on Aeroflot flights into the UK and tighter sanctions, targeting oligarchs and excluding major Russian banks from the UK financial system.
Bishop of Leeds says Putin doesn’t listen to words, only strong action
The Bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines, says nobody should be shocked that Russia has invaded Ukraine. It was quite clear that Putin was “going all out” for the whole of Ukraine and that he did not listen to words, but strong action. Dr Baines, a Russian-speaker who has worked for the intelligence services, said Putin had been encouraged to keep pushing “because he knows that we ‘re not going to respond”. And it was unequivocally true that the Russian Orthodox Church had encouraged Putin in his campaign. The full report of Bishop Nick Baines’s interview with Roger Bolton is here
Archbishops: Invasion is an act of great evil
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell have condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine as “an act of great evil”. In a joint statement they said it was a horrific and unprovoked attack on Ukraine and they are praying for an urgent ceasefire and a withdrawal of Russian forces. “We call for a public decision to choose the way of peace and an international conference to secure long term agreements for stability and lasting peace”. They are urging Christians to make this Sunday a special day of prayer for Ukraine, Russia and for peace and support the Pope’s call for a global day of prayer and fasting for peace on Ash Wednesday, 2 March 2.
The Archbishop of Canterbury gave an impromptu Thought for the Day on Radio 4 yesterday, hours after the invasion began. He said justice must end with those involved in conflict finding for themselves the way forward towards reconciliation and peace, not having solutions imposed on them.
Chief Rabbi encourages giving for Jewish relief fund
Ukraine has a history of being home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the world, Before WWII, there were 1.5 million; now there are an estimated 100,000 among a population of 44 million, including the President. The Jewish Chronicle reports that the Israeli foreign ministry is standing by to assist the Ukrainian Jewish population. The Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has encouraged people to donate to the World Jewish Relief fund.
Cardinal calls for immediate ceasefire
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has called for an immediate cessation of the Russian attacks in Ukraine and for the protection of innocent civilians. He said: “The international community must unite in seeking an end to this conflict through peaceful means, including dialogue and negotiation, as the only way forward. It is their responsibility to ensure that international law and territorial sovereignty are respected. We must also keep in mind the plight of those who will become refugees as a result of this attack and the humanitarian crisis that will inevitably follow”.
For Putin, Ukraine is an inalienable part of Russia’s history and spiritual space
The Rev Giles Fraser argues that the invasion of Ukraine is a spiritual quest for Vladimir Putin, tracing the “formation of the Russian religious psyche” to a mass baptism in Kyiv in 988AD. The Russian Orthodox church traces its origins to this date. In an article for the online publication “Unherd”, he says Putin, born to a devout Christian mother, regards his spiritual destiny as the rebuilding of Christendom, based in Moscow. He quotes Putin as saying: “Ukraine is an inalienable part of our own history, culture and spiritual space”.
In other news:
The risk of using prayer apps where data is harvested
The spread of prayer apps that rely on a mixture of advertising and subscription revenue to make money is causing increasing concern after several have been found to be selling on data for advertising and unwittingly to law enforcement agencies. The threats are more subtle and wide ranging than most people understand and hardly anyone looks at the privacy policies. In a Religion Media Centre online briefing Maria Farrell, who has worked in technology policy for 20 years, said the structural answer was to burn the internet to the ground. The practical answer is to use apps associated with trusted religious organisations. Read our report here and watch the briefing here
News in Brief:
The conservative campaign group Christian Concern has welcomed the government’s decision to end the temporary scheme introduced in the pandemic allowing women to take an abortion pill at home
81 faith and belief leaders have written to MPs ahead of final votes on the Policing Bill. Asking them to support an amendment including removing the ability to put noise limits on protests.
More than 250 imams and Muslim leaders have written to the Equalities Minister Liz Truss seeking assurances that a ban on conversion therapy would not criminalise them for continuing to counsel people with conflicted sexuality issues. This mirrors similar concerns from conservative Christians
The Times reports that Pope Francis has blessed violins made by prisoners at a jail in Milan using wood stripped from migrant boats, which will be given to orchestras to build awareness of the plight of refugees crossing the Mediterranean.
