Trump pledges task force to root out anti-Christian bias in government
Donald Trump has unveiled a task force to root out “anti-Christian bias” in government, appointed televangelist Pastor Pam Bondi to lead the White House faith office, and started a presidential commission on religious liberty. Speaking at two annual prayer breakfast events, he said the task force would “immediately stop all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the Department of Justice, which was absolutely terrible, the IRS, the FBI and other agencies”. It would work to “fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society and to move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide.” He said the justice system had been “weaponised against Christians” – this is believed to refer, in part, to jailed anti abortionists. And he added that the persecution of Christians under former president Joe Biden, a practising Catholic, was “terrible”. His relationship with faith had changed since two assassination attempts and was now much stronger, and he hoped his legacy would be as a peacemaker and unifier. Executive order here. Religion News Service report here
US faith leaders accuse Trump administration of violating religious freedom
Three US faith leaders have accused the Trump administration of a “direct violation of the principle of religious freedom at the nation’s core”, by its decision to stop payments on existing contracts and pause payments to refugee resettlement agencies, which they say is an assault on the collective ability to serve the most vulnerable. The leaders from The Jewish Partnership for Democracy, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the Mormon Women for Ethical Government, issued a joint statement published by the Religion News Service. They call on Congress and President Trump to “provide necessary oversight to the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, ensuring that the freedom for religious organizations to practice and honour their faith is not infringed upon by government action”.
Cardinal accuses JD Vance of scurrilous and nasty remarks
US vice president JD Vance has accused the US Conference of Catholic Bishops of resettling illegal immigrants in order to get federal funding. New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who gave the invocation shortly before Vance took his oath of office, denounced the remarks as “scurrilous” and “nasty.” Associated Press report here
More CofE abuse claims – Cleric who ran Christian Iwerne camps ‘was himself an abuser‘
Channel 4 news has broadcast another report of sex abuse in the Church of England. Cathy Newman interviewed three women who described being abused as girls and teenagers by the Rev David Fletcher, the evangelical clergyman who ran the Iwerne Christian camps in Dorset, where John Smyth groomed boys and young men, whom he later beat til they bled in his garden shed. Two of the women had worked at the Iwerne camps on domestic duties and said David Fletcher was a more significant figure there than Smyth, describing him as “the conductor of the orchestra”, in charge of the whole show. The Makin review said David Fletcher was instrumental in the cover up in the church of Smyth’s abuse. David Fletcher was Rector of St Ebbe’s, Oxford, from 1986-1998 and a statement from the church says he remained a congregation member until he died three years ago. CofE statement here. St Ebbe’s statement here
Pope has bronchitis but is carrying on working
Pope Francis is suffering from bronchitis but his schedule has not been changed and he will be working from his residence in the Vatican in the next few days. His scheduled audiences yesterday morning were held at his home. On Wednesday, Father Pierluigi Giroli, an official of the Secretariat of State, read the Pope’s catechesis at the general audience, while the Pope personally delivered an appeal for countries suffering from war. Reuters reports that Francis, aged 88, who has been pope since 2013, has suffered from influenza and related health problems several times over the past two years. When he was 21 years old, he had part of a lung removed and three cysts, after life-threatening pneumonia. He has also suffered two falls recently in his Vatican residence, bruising his chin in December and injuring his arm in January.
Hitler salutes, bacon on doors and bomb threats – Jewish student life in Britain
The Jewish Chronicle has published results of a survey among 200 Jewish university students, revealing details of antisemitic attacks. They include bacon taped to doors, Hitler salutes, physical assaults, a bomb threat, being screamed at and shouted at in relation to Israel and Zionism. The Community Security Trust has recorded a 117 per cent increase in antisemitic incidents on university campuses in the past two academic years. The JC article quotes many university chancellors who offered support, named their policies around conduct and promised disciplinary action.
Australian parliament mandates jail terms for Nazi salutes and terrorism
The Australian parliament has passed amendments to the country’s hate laws making the painting of hate symbols, performing a Nazi salute and terror offences, punishable by mandatory jail terms ranging from one to six years. The new laws follow a wave of antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, including the discovery of a van packed with explosives and an arson attack on a children’s centre near a Jewish school. BBC report here
Framework to give survivors a voice in changing CofE safeguarding culture
A framework enabling survivors and victims of sex abuse in the Church of England to support improvements in safeguarding, has been set up by the Church of England. A statement says that survivors and victims already participate in different workstreams, groups, and activities across the church but the new framework will help change the safeguarding culture.
Public consultation to appoint the next Archbishop of Canterbury
The Church of England has launched a public consultation as part of the appointment process for the next Archbishop of Canterbury, inviting people to suggest the gifts, qualities and skills needed, and even suggest names to consider. The consultation will run until 28 March. The appointment will be considered by 20 members of the Crown Nominations Commission which will meet for the first time in May, with further meetings in July and September. A ‘role profile’ and ‘person specification’ will lead to a shortlist, then interview.
Bishop of Bristol retirement date
The Bishop of Bristol, Vivienne Faull, has announced her retirement from 1 September 2025, after seven years in post. She said that after 42 years in ministry, the time had come for a rest.
Elvis Presley, ‘the greatest magician in western civilisation’
Author Miguel Conner, in “The Occult Elvis: The Mystical and Magical Life of the King”, says Elvis Presley claimed to be a faith healer from Jupiter’s ninth moon, who as a boy was given a future vision of himself in a white jumpsuit by aliens. Interviewed by The Guardian, Conner said: “He was a multifaceted seeker. Somebody who sought the larger questions of life. He was a man of prophecy, of experience – and my thesis is that he was the greatest magician in western civilisation.” Guardian article is here
