Bangor cathedral sends another serious incident report to the Charity Commission
Bangor Cathedral Chapter has sent another serious incident report to the Charity Commission, the sixth in a year. The latest move follows a meeting on Monday at which financial record keeping and procedures were discussed. This in turn followed the publication last week of a “visitation” and safeguarding audit of the cathedral which found excessive drinking, blurred lines of sexual boundaries and lack of financial controls. Of the five previous serious incident reports, four were related to safeguarding, three of which have been closed, while the fourth remains open for reports to be concluded. The fifth related to a financial matter and was closed in March. A spokesperson for Bangor Cathedral said they would be working with the Charity Commission to ensure that the issue is resolved as quickly as possible and that any improvements are put into place without delay. An implementation group will carry out both reports’ recommendations and an oversight board will scrutinise their work. The process to appoint a new Dean is underway, following the departure of Canon Siôn Rhys Evans, the cathedral’s Sub-Dean and Canon Treasurer, as well as Diocesan Secretary. A lay member of the church has called on the Archbishop of Wales to consider his position, saying the story “sullies the name of the Church in Wales across the country”. Church in Wales statement here. Church Times story here
Charity Commission inquiry into £22million cheques for cash exchange
The Charity Commission has launched a statutory class inquiry into a group of charities “where there is evidence that they are issuing or have issued cheques, which are then exchanged for cash”. In a statement, it says: “Following an unannounced visit by HMRC to a company in Hackney, 105 charities were found to have cashed cheques with it to a value of £22 million between December 2021 and March 2023. The 10 charities initially under inquiry are: Inspirations, The Rehabilitation Trust, Beis Aharon Charitable Trust Ltd, Mifal Hachesed Vehatzedokoh, Friend of Beis Soroh Schneirer, One Heart – Lev Echod, Yad Vochessed Association Ltd, Friends of Beis Chinuch Lebonos Trust, Chasdei Dov Trust and Friends of Mercaz Hatorah Belz Macnivka. These 10 charities have been prioritised following an assessment of a range of factors, including the number of cheques issued, and total value of cheques cashed”. Jewish News says eight of the charities state their primary purposes include education and poverty relief and the advancement of Orthodox Judaism. The Commission says it will investigate how funds were used and trustees’ oversight of what happened.
US poll finds non religion plateauing and main Christian traditions in decline
The US based Public Religion Research Institute has published details of its latest annual poll which shows that the number of people in 2024 who say they are “nones”, unaffiliated to any religion, has slowed down, with a small increase from 27.4 to 28.1 per cent in a year. The decline in the three major groups of white Christians — evangelical Protestants, mainline or non-evangelical Protestants, and Catholics — has also slowed over the past few years, partly due to the changing demographic. While several recent surveys suggest GenZ are returning to religion, in this survey the number of teens and twenties declaring they are non-religious has risen from 32 to 38 per cent.
Dispute continues over Scotland Bishop Anne Dyer
The controversy is continuing over the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, Anne Dyer, who was suspended over accusations of bullying and then re-instated. The Times reports that the lead bishop, the Primus Mark Strange, is now facing criticism and calls to resign, for failing to offer support to those who complained about Bishop Anne. A further complaint is that there was no formal process to investigate the allegations and determine their truth or otherwise. She was cleared to return to duties last year when officials ruled that it would “no longer be in public interest” to pursue the allegations against her. Story is here
Belgian police raids into ‘illegal’ circumcisions
Belgian police raided three locations in Antwerp as part of an ongoing judicial investigation into illegal circumcisions. The properties were in the Jewish and neighbouring Green quarter of the city. Antwerp public prosecutor’s office said the investigation focused on medical procedures carried out by individuals without any medical training. Brussels Times reports that the investigation began after a complaint from within the Jewish community itself. Following the police raids, Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, President of the Conference of Europe Rabbis, said circumcision is a critical commandment at the core of Jewish identity and adheres to modern medical standards, and the practice must be allowed: “Freedom of religion, in the Jewish case, must include freedom of religious practice.”
Gary Lineker apologises for sharing Instagram post
Gary Lineker has unreservedly apologised for sharing an Instagram post showing a cartoon image of a rat against the words: “Zionism explained in less than two minutes”, in a post from a Canadian-Palestinian lawyer. A rat has historically been used as an antisemitic insult, referring to Jews as inhuman. After criticism, Lineker issued a statement saying he deleted the post as soon as he became aware of the issue: “On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in”. BBC director general Tim Davie said people needed to follow social media rules and that mistakes “cost us”. Report here
Monk on trial for sex assault at Ampleforth
A monk who was a housemaster at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, is on trial at Teesside Crown Court for sexually abusing two boys between 1994 and 2013. Michael James Callaghan, aged 71, denies a charge of sexual assault related to a 17-year-old pupil and 12 charges of indecent assault connected to a pupil aged between 14 and 18. The trial continues. BBC report here
Queen lays foundation stone laid for “King Charles III sacristy”
Queen Camilla has unveiled the foundation stone for a building attached to the great west door of Westminster Abbey, which will be known as the “King Charles III sacristy”, the main entrance door for visitors to the Abbey, including ticketing and security facilities. It is an alternative to the great north door of the Abbey, used as the entrance for the monarchy and dignitaries at official events. The single-storey £13 million building will be made from English stone, oak and lead, is similar in style to the medieval building that stood before the dissolution of the monastery in 1540, when the sacristy was repurposed and eventually demolished. Building has been delayed for archaeological work which unearthed hundreds of thousands of human remains.
Calvin Robinson given another license to officiate
Calvin Robinson, dismissed as a priest after seeming to make a Nazi salute at a US pro-life rally, has been taken on by another smaller Anglican group, the Reformed Episcopal Church, and granted a licence to officiate for one year. Aged 39, he studied at St Stephen’s House Oxford until 2022, and claimed he was not offered a CofE curacy by the woke Diocese of London, because of his right-wing political views. He joined the Free Church of England, then was ordained into the Nordic Catholic Church, then moved to the USA and became a priest in the Anglican Catholic Church in Michigan, which then disaffiliated and joined the Reformed Episcopal Church, a branch of the ACC. The Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Steve Wood, criticised the temporary license saying he had concerns at Robinson’s “ability to model the Christ-like virtues of peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, and love,” and he did not believe Robinson was “a good representative of the Anglican Church in North America.” Robinson chose not to respond. Religion News Service story here
Pope Leo’s first days:
British Ambassador expects new papacy will continue soft power of dialogue
The British Ambassador to the Holy See, Chris Trott, has given an interview to Crux Now, saying that being present in St Peter’s Square for the announcement of a pope was an extraordinary moment. He was struck that Pope Leo spoke in Spanish, the language of Peru where he had spent most of his work as a missionary, and he reflected that it was a moment to recognise the election was not just to the Catholic faithful, but to the world, where the pope speaks about the problems that affect everyone. The Holy See had been a key partner in dialogue on issues such as climate, human trafficking, and sexual violence in conflict and he expected that under Pope Leo, there would be a consistent line on such issues. He said: “The 21st century diplomat spends a lot of time thinking about soft power, as do our governments. We have to think about it, but the papacy just does it”. Read the interview here
Anyone for tennis?
Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner, ranked number one in the world, went to the Vatican to meet the Pope, as the Italian Open is underway. One of the few things known about Pope Leo when he was elected, was that he plays tennis and he is said to have asked for some tips from the player during the audience. With him were Jannik Sinner’s family and the President of the Italian Tennis Federation, Alberto Binaghi.
The Pope’s brother Louis – the gift that keeps on giving
Pope Leo’s elder brother Louis has given a 30-minute interview to Piers Morgan on his YouTube channel “Piers Morgan Uncensored”. In a wide ranging and incredibly frank and open exchange, Louis told how among his first thoughts after his brother appeared as Pope on the Vatican balcony at St Peter’s Square, were that he had “lost his brother” to the world stage. He painted a picture of a warm and loving relationship, where they usually speak twice a week, and said he was now waiting until his brother had time to talk and meet. Louis is a Maga Trump follower and suggested that the new Pope was liberal and moderate, but as a Canon lawyer would not make waves or change law, but would follow through on Pope Francis’ intentions. He expected that any meeting with President Trump would be “bumpy” and there would be interesting exchanges, especially on the Trump policy towards deporting immigrants. Louis has had a confident, colourful social media presence. Asked whether the Vatican had been in touch to tell him to stay silent, he said “No, not yet”, but he would tone it down as he didn’t want to make waves. The family knew Robert, now Pope Leo, would become a priest from an early age and knew he took his faith seriously, but had never imagined this. Louis promised he would put a word in to secure an interview with the Pope for Piers Morgan, who explained that he’s a Catholic but had never interviewed a Pope. Piers Morgan’s interview with Louis Prevost is here
