Hindus in Croydon gather for prayer as their priest and 16 pilgrims are missing in Nepal
Members of the Sanatan Mandir temple in Coulsdon, Croydon, gathered for prayer as their priest and 16 people on a pilgrimage are still missing after the Nepal floods. The priest, Nabhi Nandan Das, was leading a group aged between 18 and 65, on a pilgrimage to the sacred Mount Kailish in Tibet. They are among 4,000 people missing after floods devastated the area. Rescue workers have been unable to reach some parts of the affected area as families and friends wait for news. The UK Hindu Forum and the Pashupatinath Temple in Plumstead are among the many Hindu organisations to have launched appeals for the flood relief effort. Meanwhile the Nepali Christian Churches UK (NCCUK) has told Premier Christian News that more than 100 church members from Rasuwa and Nuwakot are also missing. There are 500,000 Christians in Nepal.
Court told assault case against Jim Shannon MP has been ongoing for three years
A court hearing into the case against DUP MP Jim Shannon, who is accused of assaulting a woman on 1 October 2023, heard that proceedings have been ongoing for three years. Mr Shannon is a member of Christians in Parliament and is listed as chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief and secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Baha’i Faith. He did not attend the latest hearing at Newtownards Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. The court was told that a defence statement had been lodged and that prosecutors had requested further material from police, giving three weeks for this to be provided. A defence lawyer questioned the request and said: “There is an abuse of process application in this matter.” The court is due to hear an update on the progress of the case on 29 September. Irish Times report here
Jerusalem Christian schools suspend classes after failure to renew teacher permits
Christian schools in Jerusalem will suspend classes beginning 1 September, after Israeli authorities failed to renew entry permits for more than 70 teachers and staff members from the West Bank. The decision affects more than 8,500 students across Jerusalem. The General Secretariat for Christian Educational Institutions in Jerusalem issued a statement saying the failure to renew was sudden and without warning, and the absence of such large numbers of staff meant it was impossible to guarantee students’ safety. School activities are suspended until the permits are issued and renewed. The statement re-affirmed the importance of Christian schools in the city, and called for the issue to be addressed as quickly as possible in order to preserve stability for the students. It says Christian schools “contribute to the preparation of generations shaped by competence, knowledge, values, a sense of belonging, and responsibility. Ours is a mission that educates in the culture of just peace.”
Six Jehovah’s witnesses jailed in Russia for ‘extremist’ activity
Six Jehovah’s Witnesses have been convicted of “extremist” activity in Russia after a FSB security service informant allegedly infiltrated their group. Two men were sentenced to five years each in a penal colony, while four women received compulsory labour sentences of up to four years. Jehovah’s Witness organisations were designated “extremist” and banned in Russia in 2017, a decision the European Court of Human Rights ruled unlawful in 2022. In July, a Moscow court ordered the seizure of 123 properties belonging to the movement, including Kingdom Halls. A spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses told Reuters that the FSB has frequently used informants to infiltrate prayer groups and make secret recordings to obtain evidence for prosecutions. The group says 174 Witnesses – 159 men and 15 women – are currently in prison in Russia. In the latest case, a woman allegedly posed as someone recently bereaved and seeking religious solace. She contacted the group after finding a card in a cemetery and, over the following two years, secretly recorded conversations and passed them to the FSB, according to the Witnesses’ spokesperson. Reuters report here. Factsheet on Jehovah’s Witnesses here.
Pope Leo appoints third Chinese bishop under Vatican-Beijing deal
Pope Leo has appointed parish priest Paolo Liu Honggang as the Bishop of Datong (Shanxi, China), following the approval of his candidacy under the framework of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China. He is the third bishop appointed in China in three months under the agreement. The Catholic Herald quotes a bishop of the underground Catholic church in China, saying that Catholic bishops are being secretly consecrated to serve the church. They object to the state approved deal on appointment of bishops, saying the Vatican has abandoned them. Two bishops long associated with China’s underground Catholic Church were formally recognised by the Chinese authorities in 2025, as part of the Vatican-Beijing process.
Christian Aid urges support for debt relief bill in the Commons
Christian Aid has promoted a “Debt Justice” campaign, urging people to write to their MPs seeking their support for the Debt Relief Bill that will be up for its second reading in the Commons on 13 November. Named “Back to School”, the campaign says that 25 lower income countries in Africa, such as Malawi, spend more on debt repayments to private lenders than on schools and teachers. They want this law to push lenders such as banks, investment funds and other private businesses, to participate in debt relief for these countries. The Private Members bill has been introduced by the Labour MP for Southgate and Wood Green, Bambos Charalambous. The campaign has echoes of the Jubilee 2000 campaign, when Christians led a movement for debt relief based on Biblical references to the year of Jubilee, marked every 50 years, when debts were forgiven or released.
Scammers steal $1.6million from the US United Methodist New England Conference
More than $1.6 million in funds held by the United Methodist Church in the New England and New York conference has been reported stolen in a cyber security scam. A letter to the church from Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, says the perpetrators, posing as bank representatives, accessed the online accounts and completed multiple wire transfers to global accounts.
When this breach was discovered, the church officials told federal authorities and an investigation was launched with the FBI, the Secret Service, insurers and lawyers. $200,000 has been recovered but the bishop says it will not be an easy task to recover from this loss. He said: “The events of last week are a devasting blow that has shaken the Finance Team and our entire Conference Staff to their core”. All financial and staff policies are under review.
Advice, caution and creative inventions as church grapples with Artificial Intelligence
Christian Today reports on two initiatives advising clergy on how to use, adapt to and challenge advances in artificial intelligence. The Church AI Toolkit created by a team at Virginia Theological Seminary, suggests how AI affects sermon writing, pastoral care, personal relationships and fraud, offering the following advice: “As a first step, take a moment to consider what you’d like your relationship with AI to be”. A second initiative is the AI Christian Partnership, an alliance of UK-based Christians offering thought leadership, resources and information to encourage AI literacy among Christians “to ensure AI practices are grounded in robust theology and Biblical thinking”. The article, by Rev Peter Crumpler, points to one example from California, where a Baptist pastor has created an artificial intelligence version of himself to minister to his congregation when he cannot, giving advice and answering questions 24/7, a development which he suggests can leave people “puzzled, troubled or amazed”. Article is here.
Trump’s tussle with statue of Jesus in New Mexico land grab
The Trump administration is seeking to seize 14 acres of land owned by a Catholic diocese in New Mexico to extend the US-Mexico border barrier, despite objections that the land forms part of a religious pilgrimage site. The property lies at the foot of Mount Cristo Rey, which is topped by a 29-foot statue of Jesus and attracts thousands of pilgrims from the US and Mexico. The Diocese of Las Cruces is challenging the government’s attempt to seize the land, arguing that the border wall would infringe religious freedom by obstructing access to the sacred site. A judge has allowed the government to deposit $183,071 for the land while the legal challenge continues. The diocese has described the wall as contrary to its Catholic mission.
