Thousands attend rallies remembering Hamas attack on 7 October 2023
Tens of thousands of people attended a rally in Hyde Park yesterday, to remember the events of 7 October last year when Hamas attacked Jewish communities in Israel and stormed a music festival, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. The Jewish Chronicle reports that pictures of all those who died were displayed on a large screen. 101 hostages remain in Gaza and at the event, Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, led chants of “Bring them home!”. The Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and Progressive Judaism co-leaders Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy each spoke and led prayers. Other rallies were held in Manchester and Leeds. A one-minute silence will be observed at 17.10pm today.
Pro Palestine rallies held in UK attracting thousands
Tens of thousands also attended pro-Palestine rallies in London on Saturday, with marches in Russell Square and Bedford Square. The Guardian reports that some were holding Lebanese and Iranian flags with many chanting: “Free, free Palestine.” The former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf addressed the crowds and said condemning the actions of the Netanyahu government was not antisemitic. People on the rallies were simply pro-humanity. A similar protest was held in Edinburgh including a silent march for civilians killed. AP reports other pro-Palestine protests worldwide, from Morocco to Karachi to Australia.
Jewish and Muslim Women’s’ network meet for mutual support
A group of Jewish and Muslim women in London met together for a time of reflection on the past year. Some of the women had lost loved ones in the war. Organised by Laura Marks and Julie Siddiqui, co-founders of the Nisa Nashim Jewish Muslim Women’s Network, the emphasis was on providing a safe space to bring people together so that they could share stories of suffering and find hope in acts of unity. Interviewed for TV news, Dr Shabina Qayyum said discourse over the past year had become increasingly challenging and hostile and there had been a lack of safe spaces for conversation.
British Muslims and Jews “mirror each other” facing hate crime and feeling unsafe
Read our reports on the impact of 7 October and the war that followed, on British Muslims here and on British Jews here. Our briefing invited community leaders to discuss a year of increasing hate crime which has left both communities feeling Britain is not a safe place anymore. Their discussion illustrated how each group “mirrored each other”. Links to YouTube and podcast here
English Dominican friar Timothy Radcliffe appointed Cardinal – a “remarkable moment between England and Rome”
The English Dominican friar, Timothy Radcliffe, has been appointed as a cardinal, becoming the fourth Englishman to hold this office concurrently, the first time this has happened and regarded as a remarkable moment in the relationship between England and Rome. Catherine Pepinster reports on a “quietly-spoken but charismatic Catholic priest, who is one of the most influential clerics of his generation”. He is a popular global speaker and well regarded in Rome, where he recently led the spiritual reflections at the start of the Synod on Synodality. From 1992-2001, he was Master of the Dominican Order, in effect the global chief executive of one of the biggest Catholic religious orders. His nuanced writings have been appreciated by more liberal Catholics, especially his concern for LGBTQ+ Catholics and the ecumenical movement. He will be formerly appointed cardinal alongside 20 others at a ceremony known as a consistory on 8 December. Catherine’s report is here.
Fr Radcliffe is one of 21 new cardinals named. The others include a 99-year-old retired Vatican diplomat, the only one above the age of 80. All the others are under 80 and therefore able to vote for the next Pope. They come from South America, Canada, Iran, Indonesia, Tokyo, the Philippines and Africa.
Charity Commission announces statutory inquiry into the Barnabas Fund
The Charity Commission has announced a statutory inquiry into Barnabas Fund (also known as Barnabas Aid) after identifying several serious concerns regarding its compliance with charity law and the use of charitable funds. In a statement, the Commission says it is investigating issues, including allegations of unauthorised payments to some of the current and former trustees and related parties, allegations that the charity’s founders have inappropriate control or influence over how the charity operates, and possible unmanaged conflicts of interest. The inquiry will also seek to establish if the charity’s structure and relationship with Nexcus, a US-based subsidiary, is in the best interests of the charity. A temporary restriction has been imposed on payments over £4,000 – Barnabas Fund reported an income of over £21m and assets of over £2.3m in its latest accounts. The inquiry will review compliance with charity law particularly in relation to managing finances, conflicts of interest, and preventing unauthorised trustee and third-party benefits. It says the opening of an inquiry is not a finding of wrongdoing, and a report will be published in due course.
Christian charity issued with official warning over political activity
The Charity Commission has issued an Official Warning to the National Council for Christian Standards in Society (NCCSS) for failing to act on regulatory advice. The charity was founded in 1986 to promote religion and religious education. It had been advised to separate its charitable activities from political lobbying by Christian Voice, which campaigns for society to follow Biblical principles for those who “have had enough of secularist politicians imposing wickedness on the rest of us”. The Official Warning sets out actions the charity’s trustees need to take to rectify the misconduct and/or mismanagement, including acting on previous advice at pace. The regulator has also identified that the charity needs to amend its ambiguous purposes to ensure they are exclusively charitable. Failing to take remedial steps to address issues identified by the regulator can result in the charity facing further regulatory action.
US presidential campaigners target the Mormons
A group has been set up to lobby support from Mormons, members of the US Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, for Kamala Harris in the forthcoming US presidential election. The Church has had a reputation of being majority Republican, but the Religion News Service reports that “Latter-day Saints for Harris-Walz” aims to capitalise on disillusionment within the church over Trump’s record, his stand on immigration and the insurrection on Capitol Hill. The report says that the Mormons’ vote in Arizona, where there are some 200,000 church members, could be decisive. Meanwhile Trump has recently invited “Mormon influencers” to Mar-a-Lago to discuss how to motivate the LDS vote. RNS report here
Mexican priest and wrestler cared for in old age by orphan he helped
A priest in Mexico who raised funds from wrestling to care for impoverished children in his hometown, now finds he needs funds himself to pay rising medical bills, and one of the children he cared for is now caring for him. Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez, 79, fought for decades under the name “Brother Storm” and his story partly inspired the film Nacho Libre. Eight months ago, he began to lose his eyesight, as well as suffering from heart, prostate and kidney problems. To the rescue came 25-year-old Andrea Sánchez, who found out about his ailments by scrolling through TikTok. She set up a GoFundMe page which has accrued more than 100,000 pesos [£3,880]. Times story here
