Chancellor must use Budget to tackle root causes of poverty
The suggestion that the government is about to announce an extension of childcare provision is in line with the demands of a national panel of people on low incomes, brought together by Church Action on Poverty. In a pre-budget meeting, they produced key messages for the Chancellor including making childcare more accessible and affordable. They also appealed for an extension of support on energy bills, creating opportunities for young people, removing thresholds in the carer’s allowance, investing in new social housing and increasing the living wage. They say the government should use the budget to bridge the rich-poor divide and tackle the root causes of poverty.
BBC strike over cuts affecting local religious programmes
BBC local journalists go on strike for 24 hours from 11am today, in protest at cuts which will reduce the number of local radio Sunday morning religious programmes from 39 to 10, with local stations sharing new regional shows. The action will affect coverage of the budget which starts at 1230 today. The National Union of Journalists says the strike is about the future of quality local news in the many diverse communities the BBC serves. It calls on the BBC to engage with the concerns of members and come up with a workable compromise and sustainable solution.
First International Day to Combat Islamophobia observed today
Today is the United Nations’ first International Day to Combat Islamophobia, marking the anniversary of the attack in 2019 on mosques in Christchurch New Zealand, which killed 51 people. The Muslim Council of Britain says Islamophobia is pervasive in the UK with the prominence of hate crime. It is also a global phenomenon shown in hate speech, discrimination and violent crime or even genocide. It is urging people to write to their MPs with five key demands: to recognise this day, expand the places of worship security funding scheme for mosques, establish constructive engagement with Muslim representative bodies, champion inter-faith engagement to foster community cohesion, and to pursue ethical foreign policies in support of people facing persecution.
Sikh new year celebrated in gurdwaras
Sikhs across the world celebrated the new year yesterday, according to the Nanakshahi calendar, introduced in 1999 to create fixed holy days marking notable dates in Sikh history. Some festivals also celebrated by Hindus, such as Diwali and Holla Mohalla, continue to have their dates set by the earlier Bikrami calendar. March 14 marks the appointment of the seventh Guru Har Rai Sahib Ji as the successor of Guru Har Krishan Sahib Ji. The new year was marked in gurdwaras by an evening of celebration and prayers.
Archbishop visits refugee projects in countries near Ukraine
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is on a visit to Bucharest, Istanbul and Chisinau in Moldova, to meet Orthodox, Christian and Jewish faith leaders for discussions on the impact of the war in Ukraine. So far he has visited the refugee centre in Bucharest supported by the UNHCR Refugee Community Support Centre, the Salvation Army and World Vision. It offers help with housing, education and pastoral support and runs a food and clothing bank. Last weekend, he met faith leaders in Turkey, preaching and taking part in a mass to celebrate Pope Francis’ ten years in office.
Thousands more pardoned in Iran after hijab protests
Iran has pardoned 22,000 people who took part in anti-government protests, Reuters reports. The announcement came in a statement from the head of the judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei. He said they were among a total of 82,000 people pardoned in protests since the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurdish woman arrested for not wearing her hijab correctly. Iranian state media has previously suggested that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, could pardon thousands of people ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts next week.
Catholic student society suspended over abortion clinic protest
The University of Stirling Students Union has suspended the Catholic Society after it called on people to join a vigil outside the abortion clinic at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, during the weekends in Lent. The Times reports the students’ union statement that the plan was against its values and in breach of an agreement that no one should face discrimination, harassment or bullying in relation to a number of protected characteristics including pregnancy and maternity. The society has been suspended while an investigation takes place. The local Roman Catholic Archdiocese said Catholics at Stirling University should be free to express their views without being censored. Legislation is going through Holyrood that would create buffer zones outside clinics to prevent anti-abortion protesters from gathering outside.
The complex web of extraordinary fiction behind the Da Vinci cCode
Twenty years after the publication of The DaVinci Code, Dominic Sandbrook, writing in the Daily Mail, unpicks the root of the story, which he says is a fictional hoax and invention of the 20th century. The story goes that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene had a child whose descendants became kings of France and whose secrets were guarded by the Priory of Sion. Sandbrook charts the similarities with “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail”, by three authors published in 1982, which was based, he says, on the hoax of the existence of the medieval Priory of Sion. The Da Vinci Code’s author Dan Brown however, believed every word, turned it into a book and film and has made more than £100m in the process. When asked how much of the story was based on reality, he replied: “Absolutely all of it.” The story is revealed on The Rest is History podcast here
Judges in India and Pakistan more likely to acquit defendants during Ramadan
Research into the outcome of 370,000 court cases in India and Pakistan over the past 50 years has found that people have a better chance of being found not guilty if the presiding judge is fasting for Ramadan. The Times reports the study’s fundings that abstaining from food and drink in daylight hours and engaging in prayer and reflection may be linked to greater leniency or reduced harshness. The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, suggested mercy may be due to religious restraint or forgiveness, though fasting has also been shown to improve memory and cognition.
Roman and Saxon cemetery found near Leeds
A vast cemetery with the remains of Romans and Anglo Saxons from about 400AD, has been discovered around Garforth near Leeds. It is unusual to find graves from both pagan and Christian sites together, with Romans buried from west to east, and Saxons north to south. Early finds include a Roman of high status buried in a lead coffin and Saxon styles of pottery, metalwork and buildings. Times report here
Couple exhumed and moved after bird droppings defaced gravestones
A church court has allowed the remains of a husband and wife to be moved after their gravestones were covered in droppings from birds roosting in the tree above. Judge Simon Wood, chancellor of the Diocese of Newcastle, was told that the droppings were a health hazard. Terry Couley said his family had not realised the resting place of his parents, Frederick and Ellen, was a risk, until the roosting season began.
