Churches across the globe mark World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation
Today is the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, beginning an ecumenical season of creation which lasts until 4 October, the Feast of St Francis of Assisi. Pope Leo has issued a message connecting armed conflict and the environment, saying war leads to degradation of creation and threatens the lives of millions of people. He said war creates wounds that damage the whole fabric of life: “the interaction between armed conflicts and environmental degradation often creates a vicious cycle, which destroys ecosystems, contaminates essential resources, such as air and water, and undermines food security. This fuels poverty, inequality, and new social tensions that can contribute to the emergence of further conflicts.” The Church of England has recently decided to assign the first Sunday of September as a new Festival of Creation in Christ. The theme of the Season of Creation 2026 is living water, restoring barren land, reviving waters and sustaining flourishing ecosystems.
£150,000 donated to family of pastor killed at Christian festival
More than £150,000 has been raised for the family of a 41-year-old pastor who died after being crushed by a sign blown over by strong winds at the Big Church Festival in West Sussex last Friday. Robert Guanco, who was married with a daughter, was pastor of Jesus the Living Water Church in Eastbourne. He died at the scene, while six other people were treated by paramedics and taken to hospital. The festival, held at the Wiston Estate near Steyning, was founded in 2009 by Christian musician Tim Jupp and is described as Britain’s largest Christian music and worship festival, attracting more than 35,000 people. Organisers cancelled the remainder of the festival after the tragedy. Sussex Police and the Health and Safety Executive are investigating.
Prayers for pilgrims caught in the Nepal floods
The number of dead from the floods in Nepal has now reached 939, with around 4,000 missing. Many were pilgrims, some of whom were British, travelling towards Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in Tibet, sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and indigenous religions. The whole region is sacred, a place which is regarded as home to the god Shiva and marked by numerous shrines. The Hindu Council UK has issued prayers for those affected and specifically mentioned British Hindus travelling to Kailash to pray to Shiva. Hundreds of bodies have been swept downstream and recovered in Nepal. Funeral rites are predominantly Hindu requiring cremation, but because many remain unidentified and are beginning to decompose, the bodies have been buried, causing distress to relatives. The government says the burials are temporary and necessary because of the scale of the disaster, and that families will be able to reclaim remains later and perform the appropriate religious rites. In the capital, Kathmandu, special Hindu prayers and rituals are being organised at the Pashupatinath Temple. BAPS Nepal, a Hindu organisation, has volunteers delivering food, medicines, blankets and other supplies.
Memorial for victims and survivors of Heaton Park synagogue attack
Around 800 people attended a memorial event last night, for the victims and survivors of the attack on Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester, in October 2025. Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby were killed, and three others were injured, as they tried to defend the synagogue from Jihad al-Shamie, who first rammed his car into people outside and then attacked others with a knife as he tried to enter the building. Relatives of those who died and some of the survivors were among the speakers. The congregation included the Communities’ Secretary, Angela Rayner, and the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who said the perpetrator was inspired by “deep antisemitism in society, statements, policies, declarations and the demonisation of the State of Israel, and by extension, the demonisation of all Jews”. The Heaton Park Rabbi, Daniel Walker, said the Jewish community feels less safe now than it did immediately after the attack. Rising antisemitism and failure to deal with problems had left the Jewish community feeling increasingly vulnerable.
Chief Rabbi says UK Jewish community ‘deeply dismayed’ at proposed West Bank trade ban
The Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis met the Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, last Friday to convey the UK Jewish community’s “deep dismay” at the government’s proposed ban on trade with the West Bank. The proposal follows violence from Israeli settlers in the territory and Israel’s opening of a tender for the construction of around 1,200 homes in the E1 area of the West Bank, which Miliband has described as an “unacceptable and destructive act”. In a statement following the meeting, Sir Ephraim said sanctions will be counter-productive and will endanger a vision of peace. He condemned “violence by a small number of extremists” but said the proposed ban would embolden them. He continued that it is “difficult to escape the painful conclusion that domestic political considerations are driving foreign policy, the impact of which is negative both for prospects for peace in the Middle East and for the UK Jewish community.”
83 year old Unification Church leader jailed in South Korea
Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, aged 83, leader of the global Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, and widow of its founder Rev Sun Myung Moon, has been jailed for two years after being found guilty of embezzlement and bribery. At a court in South Korea, she was convicted of illegal political funding by providing 100 million won (about £53,000) to Kweon Seong-dong, a senior politician in the conservative People Power Party, in January 2022; and bribery by giving luxury gifts, including Chanel handbags and a diamond necklace, to Kim Keon-hee, the wife of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol, in July 2022. The court concluded the gifts were intended to obtain government favours for the church. Throughout the proceedings Dr Han maintained her innocence and her legal team will appeal. She appeared at her sentencing in a wheelchair, wearing a mask and hospital pyjamas and was not immediately jailed, as there is a court-ordered suspension of her detention on health grounds in place. A spokesperson for the church said it is “deeply concerned by the humanitarian consequences” of her detention which had seriously affected her health. A statement said “the treatment of a person of advanced age and frail health before judgment raises serious questions” including human dignity and fundamental rights.
Vatican: Dialogue with Russia is difficult, but diplomacy promises a possible solution.
The Holy See’s foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, has said that the dialogue with Russia over the war in Ukraine is “difficult”, but diplomacy offers and promises a possible solution. He was speaking at a news conference after his visit to Moscow for bilateral talks with the foreign minister Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He said that the longer the war continued, the harder it would be to restore relations, with “many victims” and “many open wounds”. But he said all wars ultimately ended through negotiation and an agreement. The Holy See did not seek to propose detailed solutions, but to call for peace and to invite both the Russian Federation and Ukraine, as well as other countries, to show goodwill and enter serious dialogue. The archbishop said that the Vatican’s message was simple: “have courage, embrace the path of peace” and retain hope of a better future.
Bangladeshi Muslims threaten strike over blocked Venice mosque
Bangladeshi Muslim migrants living in Italy are threatening to go on strike after plans for a large mosque were blocked by the Mayor of Venice. The Muslim community in the area is around 10,000, many working in the Fincantieri shipyards. The Telegraph reports that they wanted to build a mosque on the site of an old sawmill in the nearby town of Mestre, on the mainland. But Simone Venturini, the centre-right mayor of Venice, said it was too large and he wanted to see more integration including people learning Italian and families sending children to school. He was also concerned about the status of women: “I see more and more women wearing full veils and that worries me.” Prince Howlader, a representative of the Bangladeshi community, said they will appeal to the president of Italy over the plans. “If they don’t let us build our mosque we will protest in the streets. And if we Bangladeshis go on strike in Venice, Mestre and Marghera, the Fincantieri shipyards will grind to a halt, as well as restaurants and hotels.”
