Government recommends RE is included in national curriculum
The Government has announced that it is pursuing plans for Religious Education to form part of the new national curriculum, after a consensus was achieved with faith groups about programmes of study. At present, RE is outside the national curriculum, with decisions over content taken locally, leading to wide variations. Last year, a curriculum review called for RE to be included in the national curriculum, but said the sector had to “reach consensus on whether this is achievable”. The RE Task and Finish Group, led by Vanessa Ogden, a former academy CEO turned senior civil servant, was set up to propose programmes of study and national standards for children from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4. All schools will retain their freedom to build on the requirements of the new national curriculum. and the change will be introduced in stages. Key leaders engaged in the process have welcomed the “unprecedented” consensus reached, saying the decision will put RE on an equal footing with other subjects and end the “postcode lottery” of provision. The Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “With so much focus on what divides us – and race and religion so often at the heart of that division – equipping young people with the knowledge, understanding and values that religious education teaches could hardly be more important.” NATRE report gives reaction here. RE Council reaction here
Pope calls for respect for human dignity and migrants as US marks 250 years
Pope Leo has written an open letter to all Americans marking the 250th anniversary of the USA on 4 July, emphasising religious freedom and human dignity, and reflecting on the principles in the Declaration of Independence, of liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, justice and democratic self-government. Religious freedom, he suggests, is the most cherished of these principles, “protecting both individual dignity and the peaceful coexistence of a diverse people.” The dignity of each person means safeguarding life from the beginning to the end, and building a society in compassion meets the vulnerable, including protecting and accompanying migrants, whose contributions had shaped the nation’s history. He recalled the work of Christians to American society throughout its history, in education, healthcare, and serving the common good.
Pope visits Lampedusa on 4 July
Pope Leo XIV travelled to Lampedusa on 4 July, with actions and words highlighting the plight of migrants and refugees. The island is a main gateway to Europe for migrants from Africa, with hundreds of thousands passing through. The Pope visited the cemetery where Muslims and Catholics, young and old, black and white, who lost their lives at sea, are buried. He then stopped at the “Gateway to Europe,” a sculpture symbolising hope for those arriving by sea, met a migrant family at Favarolo Pier and celebrated Mass at Lampedusa’s sports field. He spoke of “robbers” who stripped everything away from migrants seeking a new life and praised the islanders for their solidarity with the migrants and the “miracle of compassion” they had shown.
Report into US views on religion and society finds fear of losing identity
A report by the US organisation Public Religion Research Institute, examining Americans’ views on national identity, politics, religion, democracy, and cultural change, suggests that most believe the country is in danger of losing its culture and identity. Most Americans remain committed to a vision of America that is religiously and racially diverse, but white evangelical Protestants and Christian nationalism sympathisers are more likely to prefer a nation primarily made up of Christians. Only 25 per cent hold favourable views of the term Christian nationalism, and they remain divided over whether the values of Islam are at odds with American values. The findings are based on 5,000 interviews with people in 50 states. Most Americans say the things that are important to being truly American, include believing in individual freedoms, the constitution, the Declaration of Independence, accepting diverse backgrounds, respecting American political institutions and laws, and speaking English. Smaller majorities say believing in God and being born in the US are true American traits. Findings are here.
Religion Media Festival: Zöe Franklin MP: ‘Faith on the Frontline’
Zöe Franklin, the Liberal Democrat MP for Guildford, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on faith and society, told the Religion Media Centre’s annual festival that people often assume her views and reach conclusions about her because of her Christian faith. In a speech entitled Faith on the Frontline, she gave the example of the terminally ill adults bill in the last session of parliament, which she and 30 per cent of known Christian MPs supported, a view which has surprised others who assume a much more uniform binary response to the issue. There is room, she argued, for “honest nuanced disagreement within faith communities on these issues”. In fact, she said the values of Christianity were what motivates her politics. She urged the media to dig deeper to uncover the “quiet consistent work of faith communities” such as running foodbanks and setting up community networks and ask questions about how their faith shapes their lives. View the session at the Religion Meida Festival on our YouTube channel here.
State funeral for Ali Khameinei, Iran’s political and religious leader
A state funeral for Ali Khamenei, the country’s Supreme Leader and Wali al-Faqih (Guardian Jurist) was held in Teheran yesterday, 131 days after he was killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on his compound, which also killed several members of his family and senior political figures. Usually, Muslims bury the dead within 24 hours, but Iran delayed Ali Khamenei’s funeral for more than four months, saying the continuing war with Israel and the United States made a mass public burial too dangerous until a ceasefire was in place. His funeral at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla, a vast prayer complex, was both a state funeral and a major Shia religious ceremony, reflecting his role as Iran’s highest political and religious authority. Iran’s new Supreme Leader, his son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not made any public appearance since his appointment, did not appear to lead the prayers or the rite. According to Iranian officials, this was for security reasons following threats against him.
China introduces law ‘threatening’ ethnic and religious minorities
China has introduced the Ethnic Unity Law, which bans ethnic division and enforces integration where Mandarin is the primary language, and where parents are told to encourage children to love the communist party and the Chinese people. Cultural institutions will reflect Chinese history, and local authorities must pursue ethnic integration in their housing policies. Amnesty International has warned that the act will demand conformity and enforce assimilation, and will not protect minority communities and their cultures, but threaten those including Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Mongolians. A day after the law came in, a Tibetan man died after setting himself alight outside the UN headquarters in New York, reportedly enraged by the restrictions of the Chinese government.
China releases underground church leader after two months detention
Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, who led an underground church in China, has been released from detention after President Trump raised his cases with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping in Beijing. He was detained with 17 other leaders of the underground Zion Church in October, said to be one of China’s largest crackdowns on a single church in decades. Pastor Ezra has arrived in Los Angeles and “is finally reunited with his family,” according to Frances Hui of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation.
Talks continue on changing role of Archbishop of Canterbury in global church
The global Anglican Communion has decided to carry on talking about a proposal to change the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury as the sole focus for unity and instead institute a shared collaborative presidency. The scheme was proposed to assist unity among churches who have different views, among other things, over women priests and bishops. The issue is in stark focus as the present Archbishop of Canterbury is a woman, Dame Sarah Mullally. But at a meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Belfast, they decided to carry on talking about the “Nairobi-Cairo” proposals, speaking of the need for relationships and trust to grow. They have asked for a meeting of all the Primates, and further conversations about Anglican identity and unity.
CofE general synod members complain over conversion therapy fringe event
Eighty-two members of the General Synod have written to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York asking why a fringe event has been allowed about people who went through conversion therapy, changing their sexual orientation. The letter, written by Rev Robert Thompson, says this is a safeguarding issue: “For many LGBTQIA+ members of Synod, this is not an abstract theological question. We do not regard our sexual orientation as a defect awaiting transformation. Rather, we believe it is part of the person God has created and called.” It asks how the decision to allow the fringe event was made and seeks assurances that the Church of England is “one in which every sibling member is able to participate with equal dignity, belonging and confidence”.
Muslim News Awards to be presented tonight
The Muslim News awards are to be presented at a gala dinner this evening. This is the 22nd year of the awards and the Muslim News editor Ahmed Versi, said they celebrate outstanding achievements and illustrate “shared values and a vibrant heritage that has evolved into a distinctly British Islam”. They include awards for community relations, arts, good citizenship, creativity in Islamic thought, championing a Muslim cause, engineering, science or technology, media reporting, promoting understanding between global cultures and faiths, health, children’s award for under 15s, young person’s award aged 16-25, education, enterprise and community development.
