Sir Paul Marshall, evangelical Christian with right wing politics, buys The Spectator
Sir Paul Marshall, an evangelical Christian, committed member of Holy Trinity Brompton, multi- millionaire, hedge fund manager, investor in GB news and prominent in right wing political circles, has bought the world’s oldest current affairs magazine, The Spectator. Sir Paul’s political and religious views were outlined by author, Andrew Graystone, in Prospect magazine, which also carried an article on his social media activity, where his now deleted likes of extremist tweets gave rise to the view that he was unfit to be a media mogul. Sir Paul founded the conservative news website “UnHerd” and his HTB credentials are widely known, as a benefactor of the St Pauls’ Theological Centre, St Mellitus training college, the Centre for Cultural Witness based at Lambeth Palace, and the Church Revitalisation Trust. He is a founding Trustee of Ark, the children’s charity, and Chairman of Ark Schools. Broadcast reports that Fraser Nelson will remain editor of The Spectator and Sir Paul is expected to become chair of the holding company but will not sit on the board or take a management position. The current chair of the Spectator, veteran journalist Andrew Neil, has resigned “with great sadness” after 20 years. Independent story here
Nazir Afzal leaves the Catholic church for CofE Safeguarding role
Nazir Afzal, former chief crown prosecutor and chair of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency, is stepping down at the end of his three-year contract and joining the Church of England as Independent Chair of its National Safeguarding Panel. He has been praised by the Catholic church for developing the Agency, with a regulatory framework for every parish, chaplaincy and religious order. In a Tweet, he said it was his duty “to make a difference wherever & whenever” and his new role would involve “providing scrutiny & advice to those tasked with protecting the most vulnerable”. The CofE National Safeguarding Panel has independent multi-agency professionals and survivor representatives whose role is to scrutinise and challenge the church’s safeguarding work. The chair’s role has been filled on an interim basis since November 2023, by Kashmir Garton, who stepped in months after the Independent Safeguarding Board was disbanded. One of its sacked members, Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, urged Nazir Afzal to “urgently address those let down by closure of ISB. They remain in despair, unheard & in desperate need of support”.
Multi millions from Lottery Fund for repair of places of worship
The National Lottery Heritage Fund says it expects to invest £100 million in churches, chapels, synagogues, gurdwaras and more places of worship over the next three years. As part of this, the “Heritage in Need: Places of Worship strategic initiative” will invest £15 million to support large projects. The first tranche of £4.68m is to expand the Church of England’s Conservation Grants Scheme, for repair and maintenance of parish churches over the next five years. The money will go towards the preservation of historical features such as stained glass windows, paintings, clocks, bells, organs and monuments, as well as repairs, for example guttering. Churches will also be able to use the money to act as training sites for skilled crafts. The Church Times quotes the Lottery Fund’s chair saying the application process is being made simpler, after applications fell because the forms were considered too complicated.
Place of CofE bishops in the Lords is a feudal legacy which should end
The place of Church of England bishops in the House of Lords came under scrutiny in the Lords yesterday, in a debate on a bill to increase the number of women included in the historic allocation of 26 Church of England bishops in the Lords. Crossbencher and former BBC Director General, Lord Birt, said “the guaranteed representation of the Church of England in this House is a feudal legacy, embedded centuries before the notion of democracy gathered pace”. He regretted that the place of the bishops was not included in the govenrment’s plans to end hereditary peerage. With the decline of Christian affiliation in Britain, he hoped to see faith leaders of every kind repreresented in the House, based on merit.
Church Works Commission concern over winter fuel payments and two child benefit limit
The Church Works Commission, an organisation set up after the Covid pandemic bringing together 19 church organisations and the government to support the vulnerable, has held its first meeting with ministers in the new government. While extending the hand of friendship and partnership, commissioners raised concerns about how the means-testing of the winter fuel payment will impact vulnerable people. And they called for the removal of the two-child limit on state benefits. Sir Stephen Timms MP told them there is a shared agenda on child poverty and explained the work of the Ministerial Taskforce on Child Poverty Strategy. The faith minister, Lord Khan, said he wanted to be a strong ambassador for the Church Works Commission across all parts of government and promised to meet representatives regularly.
APPG on British Muslims reconstituted with new co-chairs
The All Party Parliamentaray Group on British Muslims has been reconstituted in the new parliament, with its AGM yesterday. Sarah Owen, Labour MP for Luton North, and Robbie Moore, Conservative MP for Keighley and Ilkley, have been el;ected as co-chairs. In 2018, the APPG produced a working definition if Islamophobia that has been contested. It says: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness”. The rise in anti Muslim hatred has led to calls for the govenrment to be clear about the definition of Islamophobia, so that breaches can be identified and acted upon.
Almost half the population of East Timor greeted Pope Francis
Almost half the population of East Timor, estimated at 600,000, attended Pope Francis’ final mass in the country. The Associated Press reports that East Timor has been overwhelmingly Catholic since Portuguese explorers first arrived in the early 1500s, and now 97 per cent of the population are Catholics. Traditional Timorese dance opened the Mass and the Pope’s homily was on the gift of children, that the birth of a child is “a shining moment of joy and celebration”, instilling a return to purity and simplicity with a need to ensure they are taken care of. The safety of children is a major issue for the Catholic church in East Timor, with two prominent clerics at the centre of sexual abuse allegations, including Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo who has resigned and now lives in Portugal.
Tariq Ramadan sentenced to three years in jail on sex offences – and launches another appeal
Tariq Ramadan, Islamic scholar and former Oxford University professor, has been convicted of rape and sexual coercion by a court in Geneva, overturning a previous acquittal. He was sentenced to three years in prison, two of which are suspended, by the Swiss criminal court of appeal after prosecutors appealed against the earlier verdict. His lawyers are agaiin appealing this latest ruling. The Times reports that he had denied the charges, made in 2018 by an unnamed Swiss woman relating to an incident in a Geneva hotel in 2008. The Times outlines other allegations made in France, including rape, which he denies. Tariq Ramadan was professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Oxford until November 2017 and has taken early retirement, saying that he suffered from multiple sclerosis and depression. Times report here
Former vicar jailed for defrauding congregation of £11,000
The Rev Adrian McLaughlin, the former vicar of St Colman’s Church in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, has been jailed for six months for defrauding his church of £10,000 and a grieving widow of £1,000 in 2016. The court in Belfast was told that Mr McLaughlin, aged 50, had made out a cheque for £10,000 to himself, instead of towards a replacement organ fund. He had also diverted to himself a £1000 cheque from a widow, which was meant to be for a memorial to her husband. The judge said Mr McLaughlin regarded the parish “as if it was a personal fiefdom”. He was given a 12-month sentence, half of which is to be served in custody.
An orchestra playing Ibiza dance songs in a cathedral “incongruent” with Christian message
A row has broken out over a concert of Ibiza dance songs, played by a 40 piece orchestra, which is due to be held at Peterborough Cathedral on 2 November. An outraged vicar, the Rev Daniel French from Salcombe, told the Telegraph that the event was incongruent with the Christian message, and an Ibiza night concert “pumping out a message of hyper-individualism and sexual licence” doesn’t feel quite right in a cathedral. The Ibiza concert is also due to be held at Manchester Cathedral on 12 October, and Coventry Cathedral on 26 October. A spokesman for Peterborough Cathedral told the Telegraph that cathedrals are self-funding and have to raise money to survive. Other cathedral controversies have included silent raves, a helter skelter and crazy golf, all taking place in the nave.
Updated 13 September 2024
