Trump says attack suspect had ‘an anti-Christian manifesto’
Donald Trump has said that the suspect accused of trying to attack administration officials at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner had an anti-Christian manifesto and “a lot of hatred in his heart”. The suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, described as a teacher and engineer, is alleged to have sent family members a note shortly before the attack, apologising to his parents, colleagues, students, bystanders and others for what he was about to do. Speaking to Fox News, Trump said: “When you read his manifesto, he hates Christians”. A transcript given to NBC by White House officials, includes the line: “Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes”. A secret service agent was shot and is in hospital. The president, his wife and other guests were unharmed. Buckingham Palace has announced that King Charles’ four day visit to the USA which starts today, marking the nation’s 250th anniversary, will go ahead.
‘Extraordinary moment’ as Archbishop Sarah Mullally meets the Pope
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, will meet and pray with Pope Leo today, on her four day pilgrimage to Rome. They will meet privately before giving addresses, but as Catherine Pepinster writes, the moment when the first woman to hold the office of Archbishop of Canterbury is alongside the Pope, will be “an extraordinary sight”. Dame Sarah arrived on Saturday and has prayed at the Tombs of St Peter and St Paul, presided at a service at All Saints’ Anglican Church, and preached at evensong at the Episcopal church, St Paul’s Within the Walls. This was the first non–Roman Catholic church built within the walls of Rome since the Reformation, and the archbishop said it is a sign of Christian presence, that division is not the final word. She said that violence is “inflicted on innocent people” in conflicts across the globe, instead of making justice and peace a priority. Sermon is here. Catherine Pepinster’s explainer on the visit is here.
Justin Welby launches global mediation company
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has launched a company, JPW Mediation, to facilitate mediation and global reconciliation. On his Linked In page, he explains that the Archbishop “plays a pivotal role in fostering unity and addressing key issues within the church and society. Their work emphasises collaboration, compassion, and dedication to fostering inclusive and meaningful religious practices. Since retiring as Archbishop I continue to work on mediation and reconciliation both commercially and in conflict areas”. The Telegraph reports that the company was incorporated on 6 August 2025 and followed his unprecedented resignation as Archbishop in November 2024 over the Church of England’s failure to act and stop the serial abuser John Smyth. It quotes “Graham” a victim of John Smyth who says Justin Welby should make peace with Smyth’s victims. In this new consultancy role, the former Archbishop has been responding on Linked In, to comments on the crisis in the Gulf from the International Crisis Group.
James Talarico, the 36 year old Democrat ‘politically recoding the Christian faith’
The Sunday Times has a profile of James Talarico, a 36 year old Democrat with a progressive Christian faith, who is standing for the Senate in Texas. The report, by Katy Balls, says Talarico is a Presbyterian seminarian, the grandson of a preacher and is described as “having Jimmy Carter’s faith and Barack Obama’s spirit, and has spoken of the need to recast religion for a younger generation or risk losing them for good”. He infuriated the Maga right by describing God as non-binary, saying the Bible does not condemn gay marriage and arguing that Mary gave birth to Jesus with consent. The host of a right wing podcast prayed God would kill Talarico, who responded by saying: “I love you more than you could ever hate me”. The article concludes: “What is happening here is not just a Senate race but a test of whether faith itself can be politically recoded”. Article is here
As Assisted Dying Bill falls, bishop says ‘faith response is legitimate’
The failure of the Assisted Dying Bill to go through parliament, because it ran out of time to be considered in the Lords, has been welcomed by the Catholic lead bishop for life issues, Archbishop John Sherrington. He said the bill was deeply flawed, but the debate “underlined the urgent need for improved access to high-quality palliative care”. As the debate wound down on Friday, the Bishop of Newcastle,, Helen-Ann Hartley, a member of the select committee that examined the bill, told the Lords that “the quality of our scrutiny is not a procedural detail—it is a moral necessity” and the more closely they looked at the bill, the more concerns that had. She said: “Some may dismiss my contribution as one which is grounded in a faith, but this is as legitimate and significant as any other viewpoint – grounded in faith, belief or none.” Supporters of the bill say they want to bring it back in the next session of Parliament.
Immanuel College Jewish school saved from closure
The Jewish independent school Immanuel College, in Bushey, has been saved from closure by the international education network “GUS”, which specialises in higher education and vocational training with campuses across the world including in Tel Aviv and London. Only two weeks ago, the school said that the combined impact of rising costs, the government’s introduction of VAT on independent school fees and increased National Insurance had contributed to financial difficulties. A parents group raised £13 million to try to save the school and then GUS agreed to secure its long term future, subject to checks.
Archbishop Richard Moth elected president of Catholic bishops’ conference
Catholic bishops have elected Archbishop Richard Moth as President of the Catholic bishops’ conference of England and Wales. He succeeds Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who served as President from April 2009. The election took place during a one day assembly in Rome, where they were meeting for a week of reflection and study on their ministry. A statement was issued supporting Pope Leo’s comments about peace, saying: “We stand in solidarity with the Holy Father in his sustained witness and unshakeable commitment to the Gospel of Peace”.
Catholic bishops’ five point plan for Wales
Catholic bishops in Wales have issued a document outlining their top five priorities for the Senedd, to be elected on 7 May. They want Catholic schools and the teaching of RE to be protected, opposition to assisted suicide and abortion, capital funding for repairs at historic churches and chapels, increased access to high quality palliative care and investment in prenatal and postnatal care, and measures that promote biodiversity and net-zero carbon targets.
Rev Marcus Walker: Rise in religion book sales driven by young people
The Telegraph reports the view of the Rev Marcus Walker, that the rise in books about religion is driven by young people wanting to recover a sense of their heritage and find out more about ideas they discover on TikTok. The article quotes figures by Nielsen Media Research that in 2025, sales of books about religion were up 10.5 per cent, sales of the Bible and liturgy went up by 15.9 per cent and Bear Grylls’ book “The Greatest Story Ever Told” sold 30,000 copies in 2025, and was a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller. The report says that the rise in sales has led Penguin Random House to launch Ebury Vine, catering for lifestyle, memoir, popular psychology, cookery, spirituality and religion. Telegraph article is here.
