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Welcome back — and a very happy New Year from all of us at the Religion Media Centre. We look forward to another year of daily news bulletins, regular media briefings, events and our bespoke training. Plans are already taking shape for Creating Connections in Wales, and we are delighted to announce another Religion Media Festival – we’ll share more details soon. As ever, we’re grateful for your support in making this work possible – do please click on the donate button if you would like to make a regular or one-off contribution. Thank you for being part of our network. Here’s to 2026! Warm wishes, The Religion Media Centre team
Our first briefing of the year is on Tuesday 13th January at 1200, on the report “Questions of Hope and Hate: Faith and Faultlines in a Changing Britain”. The report shows how democratic fatigue, global conflict, internal religious change and weakened interfaith structures are reshaping civic life. Guest speakers include Lord Russell Rook and report author Paul Bickley. Get in touch to join: [email protected]
Orthodox Christians around the world celebrated their Christmas day this week, including special services at the Serbian Lazarica Church in Bournville, Birmingham, built for refugees from Yugoslavia after World War Two.
In Venezuela, US forces arrested and removed President Maduro on charges of narco-terrorism. Pope Leo expressed concern saying the good of the Venezuelan people must prevail “and lead us to overcome violence and to undertake paths of justice and peace” >>
Hundreds of mourners attended a mass for the victims of the New Year’s Day fire at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, which killed 40 people.
Canadian research organisation FirstPrinciples has been awarded a grant from the John Templeton Foundation to build an AI Physicist “capable of developing a new theoretical framework that unifies (or transcends) quantum mechanics and general relativity”.
Headlines of stories over Christmas and the New Year are listed here:
links include seasonal messages, Zohran Mamdani becoming the first Muslim mayor of New York, Muslim Council of Britain Town Hall meetings report, and a feature on TikTok vicars.
Stories from 2025 listed in chronological order here, including new Pope, Archbishop of Canterbury and faith minister; rising hate crime; and scenes of Christian nationalism. Our full briefing reviewing 2025 can be found here.
More headlines ..
Here are other headlines from this week’s daily bulletins. Sign up here to receive them in your inbox every morning.
| Monday 5 January 2026 Pope ‘deeply concerned’ over events in majority Catholic Venezuela Venezuelan church leaders shocked and appealing for peace Mass for victims of Swiss ski resort fire Report says 17 Catholic missionaries killed in service in 2025 David Lammy praying for a better world ‘in dark times’ Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss has died aged 96 When to take down Christmas decorations |
| Tuesday 6 January 2026 US Episcopal leaders call for Congress investigation into Venezuela action Templeton money for ‘AI physicist’ to answer deep questions of the universe 33.5 million pilgrims visited Rome during Year of Jubilee US Islamic preacher ‘banned from speaking’ in England Teenager educated in Britain confirmed among those who died at ski resort fire Jewish leaders demand Royal Commission into Bondi Beach killings Conscientious objection in UK assisted dying laws The great unchurching of America and widening partisan ‘God gap’ Month of non-stop prayer for UK spiritual renewal |
| Wednesday 7 January 2026 Call for week of prayer and fasting for peace in Venezuela ‘The only person who can stop Donald Trump now is Pope Leo’ Worldwide Catholic Cardinals meet in Rome for over the next two days Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe on his life, calling, theology and Pope Leo Police deny political pressure led to ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans Prayer vigil as Christian climate activists appear at Bath court Ireland’s oldest man, Holocaust survivor Joe Velesky, has died aged 107 Pope officially closes the door on the Year or Jubilee St Bride’s chalks the church door for Epiphany |
| Thursday 8 January 2026 US evangelical speaker Philip Yancey retires after admitting eight-year affair One in five Britons regularly feel ‘deeply thankful’ to be alive Marco Rubio speaks to Vatican’s Cardinal Parolin about Venezuela Cardinals urge Pope Leo to focus on mission and synodality Rector of Glasgow University denies antisemitism charges Islamic state group admits killing 15 Christians in Nigeria Sandford St Martin Award entries due in this month Orthodox Christmas Day celebrated around the world |
| Friday 9 January 2026 Lords given more time for Assisted Dying Bill debate Dame Sarah Mullally cleared over abuse handling complaint Pope calls for annual meetings of worldwide cardinals Clergy on frontline of protests at shooting of woman in Minneapolis Capitol Hill riot anniversary with two polarised Christian events |
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