Pope Francis in hospital and cancels appointments
Pope Francis is in hospital with a respiratory infection and will need to spend a few days there, according to a Vatican statement. He had breathing difficulties in recent days but does not have Covid, the statement said. Earlier it was announced that he attended a scheduled hospital appointment but was admitted and his appointments were cancelled for the next two days. Despite his mobility issues, recent colon surgery and advanced years, the Pope, aged 86, has kept up a busy schedule of meetings and visits, with trips to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan this year. He is due to lead services next week, Holy Week, leading to Easter. His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, retired due to ill health, a rare decision for a Pope. Francis has made public that he has written a letter of resignation in case his health fails, but he has also confirmed recently that he has no intention of stepping down early.
Govt report urges ministers to “be more aggressive” tackling harm caused by religious groups
The Guardian has an exclusive that ministers are to be told to “be more aggressive in tackling oppression, violence and radicalisation in religious settings”. The advice is in a report from Colin Bloom, the government’s Faith Engagement Adviser, which reviews the relationship between faith and the state in recent times. The Guardian quotes sources saying the recommendations will urge action on “issues ranging from unregulated faith schools to forced marriage and religious nationalism”. It suggests that the measures to confront harm caused by religious groups are likely to be resisted by faith leaders who object to intervention in religious matters. Sources “close to the process” have told the Guardian that the report will also “stress the positive impact of religion and formal worship on adherents and society more widely. Some of the proposals will be designed to bolster religion as a core element of British society, including more resources for religious education to be taught in schools, and more money to hire chaplains in prisons, schools and universities”. The Guardian says the report is due to be unveiled by Michael Gove’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities within weeks.
Call for closure of Napier Barracks housing asylum seekers
The Jesuit Refugee service has issued a report calling for the immediate closure of the asylum centre at Napier Barracks near Folkestone. It has run an outreach centre there for two years and concludes that it is completely unsuitable as accommodation for people seeking sanctuary. It describes the site, surrounded by an eight-foot-high fence accessed only by one large, heavy door opened by security guards. Accommodation blocks houses individuals differentiated by partitions. The government has announced that asylum seekers will be housed in abandoned RAF buildings or even units on barges. But the report says plans for such institutions must be abandoned because they damage people who are traumatised. Instead, asylum seekers should be provided with safe and dignified accommodation within British communities.
Artificial Intelligence out of control as Pope calls for commitment to act ethically
One thousand technology leaders including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak are calling for the race to develop Artificial Intelligence, to be paused for at least six months. They said recent months had seen the creation of “ever more powerful digital minds that no one – not even their creators – can understand, predict, or reliably control”. The day before they expressed their fears, the Pope also raised concerns at the unethical or irresponsible use of AI. Speaking to scientists at the Vatican for the ‘Minerva Dialogues,’ he said technology is creative and immensely beneficial, especially in the fields of medicine, engineering and communications. But its potential would be realised only if there was a commitment to act ethically and responsibly.
Charity survey suggests half the population has gone without heat this winter
Christians Against Poverty have commissioned a survey suggesting that half of all adults have gone without heat at some point this winter, with over 6 million people going without heat on a daily basis. The data is based on 2,000 responses and also finds that around a third have had to skip meals, with 40 per cent of households with children doing so. CAP is appealing to utility companies, energy providers and politicians to provide increased funding for courses on debt help and budgeting, to end poverty.
Church attendance in America has not recovered from Covid
A Pew Research Study has found that the number of U.S. adults who generally say they attend religious services at least once a month dropped from 33 per cent in 2019, before the Covid-19 outbreak, to 30 per cent in 2022. Black Protestants saw the biggest decline in attendance of all religious groups surveyed, from 61 to 46 per cent. However there has been a rise in people participating in online services since the pandemic. The extensive research is reported by the Religion News Service which says the fall may be part of a longer decline in church attendance, rather than a dramatic change in people’s churchgoing habits. It refers to other data suggesting that people inflate the frequency of their church attendance when answering survey questions.
Hillsong’s Brian Houston charged with drink driving
Brian Houston, the former global leader of Hillsong Church, has revealed he was charged with drink driving in California less than a month before he stepped down from his role. In a Facebook post, he explained that the arrest happened at a very difficult period in his life. He drove 200-300 yards to park his car and his decision to drive was “foolish.” He resigned after being charged with concealing his late father’s child sexual abuse. The cases is still before the courts and will resume in June. He appears in court on the drunk drive charges on 4 April. Hillsong church, characterised by large congregations and contemporary music, was founded in the 1980s in Australia and has grown to be present in 30 countries with average weekly attendance totalling 444,000.
Cambridge museum hands back painting stolen by Nazis
A painting stolen by the Nazis from its Jewish owner in occupied France, will be returned to his descendants by the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. ITV reports that the oil landscape, La Ronde Enfantine, by French realist Gustave Courbet, was seized from Robert Bing’s apartment in Paris in 1941, earmarked for the personal collection of Hermann Goering. A government panel investigated and recommended the painting be returned to the Bing family, as it was seized for not other reason than its owner was Jewish.
