Bishops’ amendments to Illegal Migration bill fail at final hurdle
Attempts by Church of England bishops to change the Illegal Migration bill, with more rights for children and a promise for research into the causes of mass global migration, has failed. The bill went through the Lords late at night on Monday, as bishops gave way to the Commons in the face of time pressure and government intransigence to change the bill. The Archbishop of Canterbury told the Lords that the Commons failure to accept amendments “diminishes parliamentary accountability”. He accepted that the flow of small boats carrying 45,000 people to the UK must stop, but he failed to see how this legislation did that. The bill gives the Home Secretary power to detain and remove anyone entering the UK illegally, including moving them to Rwanda. The bill now needs royal assent to be enacted.
Bishop of Durham “deeply concerned” at two child limit
The Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, tweeted that he is “deeply concerned for justice and mercy in our nation with the Illegal Migration Bill becoming law and Keir Starmer saying Labour will keep the Two Child Limit and thus keep growing child poverty into the system”. Christians on the Left has posted that a two child limit on benefits is incompatible with ending child poverty in the UK, which should be a political priority.
Report says generous Muslim giving to charity must be matched by professionalism
A report on donations to British Muslim charities has found that Muslims give £500 million to charity in a year and their donations should be matched by more transparency. The British Muslims Charitable Giving Report, commissioned by the Muslim Charities Forum, concludes that charities should make clear how they use Zakat giving. Donors should ensure they check that their chosen charity is registered with the Charity Commission. Charities should be clear about administrative costs and confident in raising funds directly for this. The report, based on responses from 250 people, says it is crucial that there are clear lines of communication between donors and charities, to ensure engagement, transparency and accountability, so that charitable giving should be matched by high levels of professionalism. The Muslim Charities Forum is connected with 450 charities working on social needs.
More than 400 bodies found at death cult in Kenya
The Associated Press reports that more than 400 people have died in connection with Kenya’s “doomsday cult”, where people were encouraged to starve in order to meet Jesus in the afterlife. Twelve more bodies were exhumed on Monday in a forest near Malindi, by the coast, where the Good News International church was based. It is reported that post-mortem examinations have shown that some victims were strangled and beaten, and some were missing organs, leading police to investigate possible links to an organ-trafficking ring. 613 people have been reported missing as police continue their work. The church’s leader, pastor Paul Mackenzie, is in police custody with 36 other suspects, but has not yet been charged.
Health professionals should partner with religion for better outcomes
A report in the British Medical Journal says durable partnerships between health and religious organisations can contribute to better population health outcomes. Written by four professors in the USA and South Africa, the report says engagement between public health and religious representatives is essential because religion’s health effects are “real, contradictory, and complex”. It says religion makes an impact on individual health outcomes and institutions. Health is seen through a religious lens and religion shapes people’s “healthworlds”.
Campaigners urge legislation to ban conversion therapy
The ban conversion therapy campaign has published an open letter urging the Government to bring forward legislation to ban the practise. The Church Times reports that it has been signed by the bishops of Dorchester and Buckingham, the suffragan bishop in Europe and retired bishop Paul Bayes. Other signatories include the Rev Steve Chalke, Jayne Ozanne and members of the Sikh tradition. The letter says the delay in bringing forward legislation is “a moral failing with dire consequences”. The report explains that Theresa May announced an intention to ban conversion therapy in 2018 but no legislation has been brought forward.
Oasis takes on 100-year-old tradition working with young people in the Wirral
The Christian organisation Oasis, led by the Rev Steve Chalke, has announced a partnership with the Kingsmead Trust in the Wirral, to develop a therapeutic centre with respite care, mental health, disability and educational support for children who might otherwise find themselves excluded from education. Oasis Kingsmead, in Hoylake, will build on work started in 1904, when Arthur Watts created a school inspired by Christian values to help young people build character, deepen wisdom and benefit from a good education. The Trust says that the original school closed in 2020 but this partnership creates a new venture echoing the founder’s values.
Aziz Foundation says additional Muslim prayer space is needed in Soho
The Aziz Foundation has again pushed back against the headline that the Trocadero Centre in Piccadilly is to become a mosque. Westminster Council has given planning permission for three floors of the centre to become a community centre and prayer space. In a video on social media, a spokesperson for the organisation says the current local Islamic centre in Soho is at maximum capacity and people are praying in the streets. The foundation is repurposing a lower basement unit into a prayer space and community centre, an area that represents 1.5 per cent of the Trocadero.
Bring your dog to the cathedral
The Telegraph reports that three cathedrals are trialling a scheme allowing dogs to be allowed into services. Only guide dogs and “assistance” pets are allowed as part of an effort to develop community and connection Deans at Canterbury, Worcester and Chichester are trialling a scheme which may become permanent, depending on feedback.
