Anglican vicar Jonathan Fletcher assaulted a man over 25 years
Jonathan Fletcher, the former vicar of Emmanuel Church Wimbledon, has been found by a court to have indecently assaulted a man over a period of 25 years, from 1973 – 1999, ending with a brutal assault. Fletcher, aged 83, a prominent conservative evangelical leader at the time, did not appear at Kingston Crown Court as he is suffering from dementia and is unfit to plead. The court was told that Fletcher administered “physical chastisement on the bare buttocks with a rubber gym shoe for the sin of masturbation”, a beating he described as “six of the best” and necessary” for “spiritual discipline, promoting holiness in life”. The complainant was 18 when the beatings began. The judge said that as this was an unfit to plead case, she had no alternative but to grant Fletcher an absolute discharge. Afterwards, the Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun, said the diocesan safeguarding team is supporting the survivor and pledged that the diocese would “continue to make safeguarding our highest priority”. Fletcher retired in 2012 and is not now authorised to minister in the Church of England. Evangelicals Now report here, Telegraph report here.
US bishop, once an immigrant, vows to speak out for migrants
The new Catholic bishop of West Virginia, Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, who was smuggled into the United States as an immigrant from El Salvador, has pledged to continue speaking up for immigrants, even if this runs counter to the Trump administration’s policies. In an interview with The Guardian, he said: “I will keep talking about people’s reality, defending immigrants and fighting for fair treatment for them” and every time he hears about raids by ICE – Immigration and Customs Enforcement – officials, he tells himself “that immigrant could be me”. He added: “We are not approaching this from a partisan political standpoint, but from a moral one. Morality is not something that pertains solely to one’s private life, but also to how I treat others, how I conduct my public life, how I perform my work, and how I engage with society”.
David Attenborough praised for showing beauty of creation
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, and the Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, have wished Sir David Attenborough a happy 100th birthday and praised the way he has opened up the beauty of the natural world. His series of films including Life on Earth, produced over 60 years, have reached an estimated global audience running into billions. Bishop Graham Usher, an ecologist before ordination, said: “As a broadcaster, he has done more than anyone to communicate the joy, wonder and fragility of the natural world. His message about protection, conservation and restoration needs to be heard – and acted on – for the good of us all and the care of God’s creation”.
Pope Leo says Christians and Muslims share attitudes of compassion and empathy
Pope Leo has met a delegation of Muslims and Christians at the Vatican, saying that compassion and empathy are “essential attitudes” of Christianity and Islam. He said they were called to draw on the richness of their respective traditions in a common mission to “revive humanity where it has grown cold, to give voice to those who suffer and to transform indifference into solidarity”. The delegations were from Jordan’s Royal Institute for Inter Faith Studies and the Holy See’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue. The Pope told them that love for the poor and sharing in their suffering were of essential importance, and he welcomed Jordan’s welcoming of refugees.
Bishop says all people of faith agree that antisemitism is evil
The Bishop of Willesden, Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy, the Church of England’s lead bishop for interfaith engagement, told the rally against antisemitism in London, that the truth that “antisemitism is evil, and must be confronted wherever it appears”, is held in common by people of faith. He said that antisemitism is a “deliberately cultivated and deeply rooted system of hatred” which mutates and survives, feeding on fear, grievance, and division. Many faith leaders spoke at the rally and the bishop said they shared a common responsibility “to protect one another’s humanity. To defend one another’s dignity. To refuse the politics of hatred and fear.”
Arrest after swastika painted on a Muslim centre
A man has been arrested in Shrewsbury after a Nazi swastika was painted on to a town’s Muslim centre. Police have arrested a 41 year old man on suspicion of criminal damage and say they are investigating this as a racially or religiously aggravated hate crime.
Award winning animated film about Anglesey saints to premiere this month
A bilingual animated film about two sixth century Welsh saints, Cybi and Seiriol, will be premiered during the annual Welsh-language youth festival of literature, music and performing arts, Urdd Eisteddfod, in Anglesey later this month. The film in Welsh and English, follows the journey of Saint Cybi from Jerusalem to Anglesey, and his meeting with Seiriol at Clorach Well in the heart of Anglesey. It uses animation and aerial footage to show their journey across holy wells, monasteries and coastal landscapes, on a route which will become a new pilgrimage way this summer. The film has been produced and co-written by Nia Elain Roberts, schools education officer for the Diocese of Bangor,which is developing resources for schools supporting the Religious Values and Ethics curriculum. It won Best Educational Film and Best Animated Film at the 2026 Christian Film Festival based in Florida.
Motorbikes blessed with holy water outside Exeter Cathedral
The Bishop of Exeter blessed motorbikes with holy water outside the cathedral at the weekend. The service was organised by keen biker and vicar, the Rev Matthew Cashmore, and took place at the start of the summer motorcycling season. He told the BBC: “Bikers pray more than Christians I think, especially when we go round corners and there’s a wet patch in the middle of the road. Anybody who is on two wheels is immediately welcomed into any gang of bikers and that’s exactly what we model as Christians.” After the blessing, the motorcyclists revved up and left: “(It was) a joyful noise, but not necessarily the noise you would expect from the cathedral,” he said.
