Pope’s envoy for Ukraine arrives in Washington for talks
Pope Francis’ peace envoy for Ukraine, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, has arrived in Washington to appeal for humanitarian aid especially concerning children. The Vatican reports that the visit follows his recent trip to Moscow and Kyiv where he met President Volodymyr Zelensky. He said: “The children must be able to return to Ukraine. The next step will be first to check on the children and then to see how to get them back, starting with the most fragile ones.”
Morality police return to enforce hijab wearing in Iran
The Telegraph reports that morality police are back in Iran, patrolling the streets to enforce the rule that women must wear the hijab. The patrols had largely stopped after the death in police custody in September 2022 of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, detained for not wearing the hijab correctly. Nationwide protests followed and the law continues to be violated. The Telegraph reports that film on social media shows female police officers berating and arresting women whose heads were uncovered.
Sixth New York Catholic diocese files for bankruptcy over sex abuse claims
The Associated Press reports that the Roman Catholic diocese of Ogdensburg in northern New York is filing for bankruptcy protection as it faces 124 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse. The claims dates from 1940 to the 1990s and are allowed after New York temporarily suspended the statute of limitations to give victims of childhood abuse the ability to pursue old allegations. Ogdensburg is the sixth of New York’s eight dioceses to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and says this will not hinder claims from survivors, but their advocates say it prevents survivors from stating their claim publicly.
“Inform” says enquirers about cults want support as well as information
Inform, the educational charity providing information about minority religions and sects, has run a one day seminar exploring the support that is available to people who have left after abuse. It says there is a greater awareness of harm and abuse in mainstream religions, which has led to greater awareness of coercive control in relation to domestic abuse, increasing academic work on the issue of spiritual abuse and greater attention on trafficking, grooming and gaslighting. Many of its enquirers are looking for information but also support, such as counselling services, legal advice or sharing their stories with the media. The Religion and Sexual Abuse Project, part funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, has been set up to encourage academic research and discussion. We are holding a briefing on this with speakers from the seminar tomorrow, Wednesday 19 July, at 1300. Details from [email protected].
Aziz Foundation says not true the entire Trocadero will be a mosque
The Aziz Foundation has criticised reports that the Trocadero in Piccadilly is to be converted into a three-story mosque. Westminster Council granted planning permission on 30 May this year, for the use of upper and lower basements and ground floor as a place of worship and community centre. The Foundation says it was wrongly reported that the entire Trocadero is to be converted into a mosque. It complains that inaccurate reporting creates hate, division and Islamophobia. In a statement, the Foundation says it supports vital community work: “The Piccadilly Community Centre is an extension of this work and will provide an indispensable space for the Muslims who work, visit and live in the area, and for whom prayer forms a cornerstone of their life. It will also be open to the wider public for guided tours around the prayer space”.
Visit My Mosque dates announced – 23 and 24 September 2023
The dates for Visit My Mosque day have been announced as 23 and 24 September. The annual initiative by the Muslim Council of Britain involves more than 250 mosques holding open days welcoming neighbours. The MCB says interfaith work is important, with many Muslim communities regularly visiting their local churches and synagogues and other places of worship, forming relationships with their congregations. But Visit My Mosque day marks a moment when mosques across the UK come together on the same day, acting as a national focus which attracts wider recognition.
Christian group in Birmingham used as a front for drug smuggling
Three men have been sentenced for using the Birmingham-based Vision Christian Ministries as a front to smuggle 400 kilograms of cannabis worth £2million into the UK. The court heard that the drug was hidden in fruit tins and shipped from Jamaica to Birmingham airport in 2017. The men were caught as they inspected the final consignment. Two men were jailed and one received a suspended sentence. Vision Christian Ministries church and charity has been closed down, after its bishop said he was mortified at being duped.
First UK performance of Latin American, Jesuit, Native opera about St Ignatius of Loyola
“Loyola”, an opera about St Ignatius of Loyola, written by Jesuits and originally sung by Indigenous people is to have its first UK performance at the Grimeborn Opera Festival in London on 11 and 12 August. The Independent Catholic News reports that it was written around 1720 for performance by Indigenous musicians on the Jesuit missions in Latin America, but the score was recently discovered in the Archives of Chiquitos in Bolivia. It is said to be one of the first operas to emerge from Hispanic and Native cultures, combining 18th century European,, Latin American and Indigenous musical traditions. The music was composed by the Jesuit priest, Domenico Zipoli. “Loyola” is on at the Arcola theatre, Dalston.
Priest told off for blessing mourners with water sprayed from the back of a motorbike
A Catholic priest who scattered holy water, blessing mourners, while riding on the back of a motorbike, has been ticked off by his diocese. Father Frankie Mulgrew was taking the funeral of Saul Cookson, the 15-year-old who died when his e-bike collided with an ambulance after being chased by police. Film in this BBC report shows the priest riding along in a procession of bikers, in an act which he explained was a gesture of outreach. But the diocese said it was not what was expected from the clergy. The BBC reports that Fr Mulgrew, of St James and All Souls in Salford, has been a priest for 10 years, once ran a mobile confession unit on a double decker bus, used to be a comedian and is the son of the entertainer Jimmy Cricket. His supporters on social media said he was a breath of fresh air.
