Report says poor communities hit hardest by church closures
A report by Church Action on Poverty (CAP) on church closures in Greater Manchester says that more are being lost in areas of low-income and deprivation. Is the Church Losing Faith in Low-Income Communities in Greater Manchester? was commissioned to examine changes in the number of churches from 2010 to 2020. It said most church closures within the Church of England, Catholic, Methodist and Baptist denominations were in the most deprived areas. Only the United Reformed Church had more closures in affluent areas. Although reasons included declining numbers, buildings falling into disrepair and loss of income, CAP’s director Niall Cooper told a Religion Media Centre online briefing that there was another story going on, where churches with less resource, less money and less agency were losing out. View our briefing on our YouTube channel here
Earthquake aid marathon appeals on Islam Channel
Muslim charities have raised an estimated £500,000 for victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, from live appeals broadcast on Islam Channel, Islam Channel Urdu and Islam Channel Bangla. Charity partners such as Muslim Hands, Islamic Relief, Muslim Aid, Action for Humanity, UK Islamic Mission and SKT Welfare have presented charity donation marathons, appealing for money while taking calls from people in the UK and elsewhere connected to the story. On Monday night, Muslim Hands raised £25,000 and they have another four appeals planned for this week. They had reporters in the field who sent live reports back from the frontline where aid was being distributed.
Rival Anglican organisation rules out flying bishops after same-sex vote
The Anglican Network in Europe, a parallel conservative organisation operating in Britain and elsewhere, has issued a statement saying its clergy and bishops are available for conversations with those in the Church of England who object to the recent decision to allow same-sex blessings. It consecrated three bishops in Hull at the end of last year and a fourth, the Rev Stuart Bell, will be consecrated as an assistant bishop in Wales on 18 March. It says it is “ready to receive those who decide that they need a home where they might receive the benefits of our relational, committed and orthodox oversight. This may be clergy with congregations, individuals, or groups of lay people who decide they cannot remain in the Church of England”. It makes clear that it will not offer alternative oversight within the Church of England, Scottish Episcopal Church or Church in Wales. “We do not believe that ‘delegated’ or ‘extended’ episcopal oversight or ‘external episcopal visitors’ works in practice or in the long-term because every church and licensed clergy person in the Church of England is legally under the authority and oversight of the Diocesan Bishop”. Statement on Anglican Ink here
Same-sex blessing debate aftermath
Thinking Anglicans has published detailed voting figures for last week’s historic general synod vote on same-sex blessings. It has also provided a list of links to reaction from 11 bishops and many other commentators.
Congress library project on Africa and Middle East religious cultures
The Lilly Endowment has given $2.5m to the Library of Congress for programmes that foster greater understanding of religious cultures in Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East. The Religion News Service reports that this is the largest private gift in the history of the African and Middle Eastern Division. The money will go towards a film about Omar ibn Said, an Islamic scholar enslaved and transported to Charleston, south Carolina, in 1807, and will fund initiatives to increase understanding of faiths in those regions, including Indigenous African religious traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Lilly Endowment was forged by a family pharmaceutical company and has given grants totalling $10.9bn in its 82-year history. It part funds the Religion News Service.
Irish marriage preparation courses back to pre-Covid levels
The Irish Daily Mail reports that the number of couples attending Catholic pre-marriage courses is back to pre-Covid levels. Tony Shanahan, director of the Catholic marriage organisation Accord, said 4,610 couples took part in programmes lasting nine hours, which cover psychological advice, how to deal with difficulties and negotiating families, alongside advice on the sacrament of marriage in the church.
$50m shrine to martyred priest in Oklahoma
A $50m shrine to Father Stanley Francis Rother, the first person born in the United States to be declared a martyr by the Catholic Church, is to be dedicated at a ceremony on Friday. He was shot dead by three masked assassins in his rectory during the Guatemala civil war in 1981. The shrine is in his birth state of Oklahoma and includes a 2,000-seat sanctuary and visitor centre. Associated Press report here
Bishops preach virtues of meat-free Fridays
The Times and Telegraph have picked up a story from the CofE General Synod, advocating eating fish on Fridays during Lent as part of the campaign to reach net zero. The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, who leads on the environment, said fish on Fridays was in line with Christian practice and the proposal can be found “within the wide context of our multifaceted strategy for reaching net zero carbon”.
