Royal Maundy service in Wales for only the second time in 800 years
The King and Queen will attend the Royal Maundy Service at St Asaph Cathedral at 11am today, where the King will present the Royal Maundy gifts to 77 men and 77 women, a number matching his age. They will each receive two purses – one white purse will contain 77 pennies, and the other in red, will contain a £5 coin commemorating 100 years since Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, and a 50p coin that celebrates the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust. The recipients are chosen for outstanding Christian service and for making a difference to their local communities, and 35 come from the Diocese of St Asaph. This is the first time the occasion has been held in North Wales, and only the second time ever in Wales, in its 800-year history. The service will feature specially commissioned music by Welsh composers and musicians, and the processional Cross of Wales, which was used to lead the procession at his coronation, will also have a place in the service.
Maundy Thursday: Pope to wash priests’ feet in Rome
Maundy Thursday is named from the Latin word mandatum, meaning “commandment”, which refers to the story in John’s gospel of the Last Supper, when Jesus told his disciples: “A new commandment I give you: Love one another as I have loved you.” This command is reflected in the church’s liturgy today, when the Pope will wash the feet of twelve priests during mass in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, one of four papal basilicas. Eleven of them were ordained by him last year, and the 12th is the spiritual director of the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary. At the end of the liturgy, the Pope will carry the Blessed Sacrament to the place of repose, in the Chapel of Saint Francis.
Easter message from church leaders in Jerusalem: pray for peace
The Patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem have issued an Easter message appealing to all people of good will to “work and pray ceaselessly for the relief of the countless multitudes throughout the Middle East and beyond who are suffering severely from the ravages of this war”. In “cataclysmic times”, they point to St Paul describing his experience of “being afflicted but not crushed”, and they repeat the story of the resurrection at the heart of the Christian faith, after which there is “newness of life”. They urge people to advocate and intercede for an immediate end to the bloodshed and for justice and peace to prevail throughout the war torn region.
Catherine Pepinster has written about the heightened risk for Christians in the Middle East – article is here.
Church services for Easter in Jerusalem
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, said to be on the site of the crucifixion and resurrection, has been closed or attendance heavily restricted for weeks due to the war and security fears. There was an outcry after the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was prevented from entering on Palm Sunday. Afterwards, he held a meeting with Israel police and an agreement was made that traditional ceremonies would be held in a symbolic and limited format with just clergy present, but the security situation did not allow for large-scale gatherings. The church is jointly overseen by Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Coptic, Syriac and Ethiopian churches and efforts are underway to broadcast services live. Today the chrism mass, with a blessing of holy oil where priests renew their vows, has been postponed “to a date to be determined”. The Orthodox Holy Fire ceremony on Easter Saturday, when fire is sprung from the tomb and spread to the faithful, will take place with restricted numbers of clergy. A lantern with the flame is always carried to Greece and negotiations are ongoing as to whether that is possible this year. At St George’s cathedral in Jerusalem, home of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East, services through Easter are listed as normal, but there is a restriction in all public events of 50 people for meetings inside, and 100 outside.
Archbishop Richard Moth: ‘Refugees are in God’s image’
The Archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth, has visited the Jesuit Refugee Service UK in east London, to see their work helping refugees from all over the world. He said the highlight was hearing the stories: “So many of those who make the journey of the refugee, they find themselves sick, they find themselves without clothes, they find themselves without food, find themselves in detention”, and the response should always be: “The person standing before me is in the image of God”. This, he said, is the root of the call of the gospel – to welcome the stranger, and he praised the Jesuit Refugee Service for its work, saying it is living out the gospel and is a sign to the rest of society. He said: “I think it’s important for us today to pray for all those who find themselves taking the journey of the refugee, and to pray that they will find a welcome wherever they go, to pray that they will find a society that will be open to their need, to recognise the difficulty of the journey that they’ve taken, and a society that will find new ways to support them in the ways that they need to re-find their dignity. That would be my prayer for the work of JRS UK this Easter and beyond”.
Three people arrested after arson attack on Jewish charity ambulances
Three more people have been arrested following the arson attack on Jewish charity-owned ambulances in north London. Four ambulances operated by the Jewish charity Hatzola, were parked next to a synagogue in Golders Green, and were set alight in the early hours of the morning last week, in an act recorded by CCTV. Last month, two British men, aged 47 and 45 were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. They were released on bail. Yesterday the Met announced that two British men, aged 20 and 19, and a dual British-Pakistani national, aged 17, were arrested from three separate properties in east London, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson. They remain in custody. Counter Terrorism Police have been leading the investigation.
Regulator freezes Christian charity’s assets after accounting concerns
The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into the Christian based Gorgias Charitable Trust and has frozen its assets after it failed to file any accounting information since 2019. The charity is based in London and has general purposes to advance the Christian religion and to promote healthcare. It was registered in April 2018 and declared that it had no income the following financial year, but the Charity Commission says “the charity appears to have been operating and has seriously understated its income”. The Commission says “there are also concerns about unauthorised trustee benefits, including payments made to a trustee for services rendered in the financial year end 31 December 2020”. The inquiry will examine the extent to which the trustees are complying or have complied with their legal duties in respect of the administration, governance and management of the charity.
Supreme Court rules against Colorado conversion therapy ban
The Supreme Court has held that Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy is against the First Amendment which protects free speech. By a margin of eight to one, the court agreed with a Christian counsellor, Kaley Chiles, who said the ban “limited her ability to counsel individuals dealing with questions related to sexuality and gender”. The state of Colorado argued that conversion therapy had been linked to serious harm and was a form of healthcare that the state had a responsibility to regulate. The Guardian reports that the ruling is expected to eventually make similar laws in other states unenforceable – around 20 have similar laws. Kaley Chiles was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal organisation.
Ahmadis allege Punjab police prevented them from praying on Eid-ul-Fitr
The Ahmadi community in Pakistan says that Punjab Police barred its members from performing Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at several locations across the province when Ramadan came to an end on March 21. Community representatives say police cleared Ahmadi places of worship and sealed the buildings in four districts. They say the authorities should take note of a Supreme court ruling from 2022 which affirms the rights of Ahmadis to practice their faith. Punjab Police has not given an official response and journalists’ attempts to get a statement have not elicited a reply. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was founded in the 19th century by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, regarded as a promised messiah, a belief that is rejected by mainstream Islam.
We’re taking a short break, so this is the last daily news bulletin until after the Easter weekend. Significant stories will be posted on our website in the meantime. Best wishes from the team.
