Archbishop: UK should resist “kneejerk” deportation proposal
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has said the UK should resist Reform’s “kneejerk” plan for the mass deportation of 600,000 migrants, by striking deals with the Taliban and Iran, saying it will not “solve the problem”. Speaking to Sky News this weekend, he said he has every sympathy with people who are concerned about asylum seekers coming to the country illegally, but Reform’s proposals are not a long term solution. In reply, Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, said he was a Christian who “enjoys” the church – but that the “role of the archbishop is not actually to interfere with international migration policies”. Reform’s policies were outlined by Nigel Farage last week and were criticised again by the Bishop of Oxford Steven Croft, on the BBC Radio 4 Sunday programme. He said Farage’s comments used language “seeking to increase people’s fears of the stranger” for political purposes and “the way to improve confidence in our democracy is to develop appropriate, sophisticated policies, not broad brush slogans, which can actually tackle the issue overtime”. Tim Montgomerie from Reform, said he would have liked to hear the Bishop talk about the pressure on community resources from the level of immigration and the channel crossings. He said when people feel the system is being abused and there is no control of the borders: “then we perhaps become less open because we want the system to work”. Sunday programme here (36 minutes in).
Extra security at mosques after asylum hotel protests
Extra security has been put in place at the Harlow Islamic Centre, the closest mosque to the Bell Hotel in Epping, which has been the scene of violent protests against the housing of asylum seekers there. Hyphen Online reports that mosques around the UK are tightening security measures as anti-immigration protests continue outside hotels. In Bristol, there were protests with flags of the Union Jack and St George’s cross displayed outside a hotel housing asulym seekers. Abdul Malik, a Bristol councillor and chair of the city’s Easton Jamia Masjid, told the reporter: “We’ve never faced this type of insult before”. Hyphen Online report is here
Pope calls for end to the ‘pandemic of arms’
Pope Leo has called for an end to the “pandemic of arms, large and small” and for prayers for the victims of a shooting during a Catholic school Mass in the United States. Two children aged 8 and 10 were killed and 17 others were injured. Speaking at the Sunday Angelus prayer at the Vatican, he denounced the attack and the “logic of weapons” fuelling wars around the world. He reiterated his appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and for serious efforts at dialogue, saying “The voice of weapons must fall silent, and the voice of fraternity and justice must prevail. We hold in our prayers the countless children killed and injured every day around the world. Let us plead God to stop the pandemic of arms, large and small, which infects our world.”
Faith leaders urge government to lift two child benefit cap
38 senior faith leaders from main Christian denominations and four other faith groups represented in the UK, have written to the Prime Minister and Chancellor, urging them to act now against child poverty by scrapping the two-child benefit cap. They say:“It is hard to conceive of an effective Child Poverty Strategy that does not act on the restrictive benefit cap and end the two-child limit. Faith groups have challenged the limit on moral grounds, rejecting the state’s abandonment of third and later children, and the poverty this inevitably causes. As many charities and think tanks have now shown, ending the two-child limit is also the most cost-effective way to address child poverty. We believe this must be a priority for your government.” The signatories include the Bishop of Leicester Martin Snow, the president of the Methodist conference Richard Andrew, Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, Zia Salik the Director of Islamic Relief, Lord Singh of Wimbledon and the CEO of the Church Urban Fund Bishop Rob Wickham, who wrote a comment piece in The Times. Read the letter and list of signatories in full here. Independent story here
National Secular Society reports church to charity commission over same sex sermon
The National Secular Society has reported Marlow Baptist Church to the Charity Commission over a sermon given by Pastor Kenneth Claassen in 2021 when homosexuality was described as a perversion and accepting homosexuality was a normalisation of sin. Bucks Free Press reports that the NSS made the complaint on 18 August, two months after the church registered as a charity. The report quotes the Charity Commission spokeswoman saying that it is “assessing the issues to determine what, if any, role there is for us as regulator”. The NSS says the comments show the church is not acting in the public benefit. Pastor Claassen is quoted saying the church has fulfilled all its objectives as a charity: “In terms of public benefit, our inclusive welcome is lauded in our community by the countless people who have been helped through our provision of space for various community groups, community activities for all stages of life and pastoral care for our congregation and community. We welcome all people to join us but like all Bible-believing churches, Marlow Baptist Church teaches the historic Christian position on gender and sexuality which churches have believed for 2,000 years”. Report is here
Catholic Archbishop of Armagh supports united Ireland
The Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, Dr Eamon Martin, has said that he is in favour of a united Ireland. In an interview with the Irish Mail on Sunday, he said the Church would not take sides in any future poll on a united Ireland, but he supported it. He said: “I think the Catholic Church, and indeed all of the churches on this island … would want to play our part in these conversations and discussions and dialogue in order to perhaps encourage reflection on what is their actual vision for an Ireland of a united Ireland? What will its values be, what’s its vision? And I think the churches and indeed other voluntary groups and community groups have not really yet become hugely involved in this discussion.”
CofE bishops on the move
The Bishop of Bristol, Vivienne Faull, has retired after more than 30 years as a priest. She was one of the first women to be ordained, in 1994 – the year it was first allowed. She was then the first woman to become a chaplain of an Oxford or Cambridge University college and the first woman Dean in the Church of England, as Dean of Leicester from 2002 – 2012 and then Dean of York from 2012 – 2018. As one of the most senior women clerics, she was widely tipped to become the first woman bishop when this was permitted in 2014. But she waited four years before moving to Bristol in 2018. The vacancy in Bristol will be added to the list of bishops’ appointments to be made. The Crown Nominations Commission meets on Wednesday 3 September to shortlist candidates for the next Bishop of Durham, with interviews to follow later in the year. Interviews for the Bishop of Ely are scheduled in November, while an announcement on the Archbishop of Canterbury is expected this autumn.
Egalitarian ‘yeshiva’ planned for London
The Jewish Chronicle reports that a progressive rabbi in London is planning to open an egalitarian Jewish school, yeshiva, in the capital. Rabbi Benji Stanley, aged 42, has been the rabbi of Westminster Synagogue, an independent Progressive congregation in Knightsbridge, but is moving with his wife to Jerusalem for further studies over the next two years. On his return, the report says, he will set up a yeshiva to extend the tradition of textual study. He said: “The picture I want people to have in their mind for what a yeshivah, a beit midrash, can be, is two people sat opposite each other, having a joyful conversation with voices from the past and a joyful conversation with each other in the present – surrounded by others doing the same and inspired by wonderful teachers who are also doing the same.” The report is here
Templeton $3.89 million for study on beauty
Brandon Vaidyanathan, a professor of sociology at The Catholic University of America, has received a $3.89 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation for an interdisciplinary project that includes the first large-scale international study of beauty. The title of the project is “Can Beauty Save the World? Aesthetic engagement among the spiritual but not religious,” and aims to encourage scholars, practitioners, and communities “to take beauty seriously as a force for good in the world”. The university says the research will span disciplines including literature, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, and sociology to better understand how individual and collective experiences of beauty may contribute to creating a sense of meaning and transcendence. More here
