Cardinal Vincent Nichols warns Britain is fragmenting
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has said the biggest challenge facing society is the way it is fragmenting and atomising, losing a sense of belonging. He was speaking in an interview with Roger Bolton, marking his 80th birthday and the expected imminent decision, that at last he is able to retire. The Cardinal is Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and has held office since 2009. In the interview, he spoke about challenges which have featured in his time in office – moral issues such as abortion and assisted dying, religious literacy in multi faith Britain, the church and sex abuse, living through Covid and the evolving landscape of Christian unity which he says is astonishing and brings hope for the place of religion in society. View the interview on YouTube here. Read Catherine Pepinster’s report based on the interview here
UN High Commissioner for Refugees speaks at Westminster Abbey as MPs debate asylum reforms
While parliament debates government measures to reform the asylum system, across the road the Westminster Abbey Institute is preparing to hear a lecture from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. The title is “One People Oration 2025: The courage to welcome – solidarity in a divided world” and the publicity says that in one of his final public addresses before leaving office, Mr Grandi will reflect “on a decade of global displacement, leadership, and moral responsibility”. The address will consider: “What does it mean to lead with compassion in a world riven by fear, at a time when the responses to forced displacement hold the power to reshape our communities? How do institutions and individuals sustain solidarity amid rising division?”. Details of the lecture at 6.30pm this evening here
Pope praises film industry saying cinema ‘awakens the light of the soul’
Pope Leo XIV has told Hollywood stars that cinema is far more than entertainment, because it can expressing humanity’s deepest spiritual search and its longing for the infinite. Academy Award–winning Australian actress Cate Blanchett, American actor Chris Pine, Italian actresses Monica Bellucci and Maria Grazia Cucinotta, and Oscar-winning director Spike Lee met Pope Leo at the Apostolic Palace on Saturday. He told them that cinema’s great gift is helping people look at their own lives with fresh eyes, rediscover hope and see the world anew. “Cinema is not just moving pictures; it sets hope in motion,” he said. When film casts its “magic light,” he said, it awakens the “eyes of the soul,” blending enjoyment with a reflection on the human spirit. Amid declining numbers going to the cinema, he urged companies not to give up, but to affirm the social and cultural value of film and stage, saying digital screens are always on but cinemas and theatres are “the beating hearts of our communities, because they contribute to making them more human”.
Jewish students’ campaign to tackle rising antisemitism at universities
The Union of Jewish Students has launched a campaign to tackle rising antisemitism and extremist rhetoric on campuses in the UK and Ireland. ‘Time for Change’ provides a platform for students to share experiences of antisemitism, exclusion, and resilience. These will be collated into a report next year highlighting both challenges and community strength. The campaign seeks to ensure that Jewish students can learn in safety and peace, while being able to have a vibrant campus Jewish life. The Union’s previous campaign ‘Stand Against Terror’ led to meetings at Number Ten and engagement with education and faith officials, resulting in the cancellation or condemnation of protests glorifying terrorism, guidance on protecting Jewish students from the Office for Students, and action by government and police against extremist campus groups. Jewish News story here.
CofE told to ‘rapidly accelerate’ safeguarding reforms
The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England must rapidly accelerate the delivery of safeguarding improvements and close gaps in its approach to handling complaints, the charity regulator has warned. The Charity Commission has set an expectation that the Archbishops’ Council should implement independent safeguarding structures as endorsed by the Church’s General Synod in February 2025 within 18 months from now – a year sooner than current plans indicate – and in the meantime, put robust interim measures in place to keep people safe. The Commission has issued a Regulatory Action Plan setting out steps the trustees need to take to address the Commission’s concerns. The statement issued by the Charity Commission on Friday, says “there is insufficient urgency and pace in implementing responses”, and it advised that interim arrangements to address identified safeguarding risks should be put in place until legislative changes are made. The instruction was published on Friday and followed information provided by bishops, diocesan boards of finance, and the Archbishops’ Council, at the Commission’s request. Full statement here. In response, the Archbishops’ Council said it is “committed to working at pace to enable the implementation of further safeguarding reforms, particularly in governance, with detailed proposals to be brought to the next General Synod to ensure sustainable and long-lasting best practice”.
40 years since ‘Faith in the City’ and the problems are the same
A meeting to mark 40 years since the controversial CofE publication “Faith in the City”, has heard that many people are living with the same problems that were around then. The report, published in 1985, highlighted widespread poverty and social inequality and criticised government policies for failing to address urban deprivation. The report was highly controversial, with Margaret Thatcher saying it was too political and overstepped the church’s role. At the anniversary meeting in Manchester Cathedral, Bishop David Walker spoke of the social and economic changes today, and of the widening disparities and inequalities of deepening poverty in many communities and growing affluence for others. Bishops have already urged the government to lift the two child benefit cap and the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell told the meeting that the Government should remember those whose voices are too often not heard and give them hope for a better future. A local vicar said the church today is “filling in the gaps” and two others said: “Recover the vision, interpret it for today and act on it.”
Christian conference in India to protest at ‘500 per cent rise’ in hate crimes
The Catholic news website Crux Now, reports that several Christian advocacy groups in India have called a national convention later this month, protesting against a sharp rise in anti-Christian violence and urging the government to take action. The groups held a press conference issuing a report which said there had been a 500 per cent increase in hate crimes against Christians since 2014, with incidents rising from 139 to 834 a year and nearly 5,000 cases recorded over the decade. They described the trend as “sustained, systematic escalation,” not isolated attacks. The convention, titled Towards a Self-reliant, Progressive & United India, will take place on 29 November. Organisers say it is not a political movement but a “constitutional dialogue” by Christian citizens demanding protection and justice amid ongoing violence and police inaction. The catalyst was a recent incident in Haryana, a state in northern India, where villagers were reportedly forced to burn Christian books and renounce their faith. The Catholic radio station Radio Veritas Asia reports that 22 Christian MPs have pledged support, saying the aim is to reaffirm constitutional rights for all Indians.
Almost 1,000 historic places of worship in England are on the heritage at risk register
Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register shows that there are now almost 1,000 churches, chapels, cathedrals, meeting houses and other places of worship at risk. An analysis carried out by the National Churches Trust, shows that Shropshire, the East Midlands, Devon, Cornwall, Herefordshire, Norfolk and parts of inner and central London contain the greatest number of places of worship on the register. The register shows 56 places of worship have been added in the past year and only 36 buildings have been removed. Sir Philip Rutnam, Chair of the National Churches Trust, said: “These statistics should be an alarm bell for the Government – now is the moment to act to save these important buildings before they fall even more into disrepair. Once these buildings are gone, they are gone forever. There is no second chance to rescue them.”
Historian ‘s 200-mile pilgrimage lays ‘foundation for inner peace’
Historian Alice Loxton has travelled on a 200 mile pilgrimage from Harby in Nottinghamshire, to London, re-creating a journey from 700 years ago when pilgrims carrying the embalmed body of Queen Eleanor of Castile to her resting place in Westminster Abbey. Writing in The Telegraph, the historian says pilgrimage calms the mind and improves memory and sleep, laying “the foundations for a life of contemplation and inner peace”. She reports that the British Pilgrimage Trust, founded in 2014, has seen its website traffic rise by 59 per cent year in year, with 50,000 visitors a month. And she cites statistics showing that 40 per cent of pilgrims say they are spiritual but not religious, drawn by the prospect of emotional and mental well-being. 250 pilgrimage routes have been mapped but, she says, future growth lies in the acknowledgment that faith is not a barrier to taking part. Telegraph story here
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