Budget reaction from Christians concerned about the poor
A panel of people on low incomes, assembled by Church Action on Poverty, have welcomed the extension of free childcare and the removal of excess charges on pre-payment utility meters. But they were upset that the unemployment support system will become more inflexible, resulting in charities plugging gaps in public services. They also object to pension reforms likely to benefit the rich. Church Action for Tax Justice said the Government can afford to do more to tackle inequality and help the most vulnerable, and those with the broadest shoulders should be making a greater contribution. Cafod the Catholic aid agency, said spending £11bn more on the military is unforgiveable when millions face famine in east Africa.
Campaign to solve RE teacher shortage
A campaign to attract a new generation of RE teachers has been launched by a number of Religious Education teaching organisations after applications plummeted by a third this year. In a Religion Media Centre briefing, speakers explained that 25 per cent of all RE lessons are taught by teachers with no post A-level qualification in the subject, and 51 per cent of RE teachers are mainly teaching another subject as their primary focus. One outcome is that there is an increase in demand for local religious leaders to come into schools to explain their faith. The briefing heard that a project is underway to consider rules around such visits, warning of the damage that can be done if the wrong kind of thing is said – all the more reason to ensure the provision of qualified RE teachers. View our briefing on YouTube here or if you prefer, listen to it on our podcast here, or read our report here.
Website launched to give a Christian take on the world
The Church of England has launched a new website “Seen and Unseen”, offering “Christian perspectives on just about everything”. Produced by the newly created Centre for Cultural Witness, based at Lambeth Palace, the website contains comment, reviews, articles and explainers on subjects related to Christianity. It says its aim is to make the Christian faith better understood in public. Launch articles include contributions from well known academics, clerics and other writers, ranging from why creeds are dull, to a Christian take on the sitcom Friends. The centre’s director is Graham Tomlin, President of St Mellitus College and former Bishop of Kensington. He explains: “Our aim is not to debate with those who don’t share our faith as to who can prove their case, but to do our best to describe the world as Christians (of many kinds and perspectives) see it”. The project is funded by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Charitable Fund and the McDonald Agape Foundation, an American organisation whose founder worked at McKinseys and in the White House. The initial four-year plan is costing more than £1m.
Mosque leader in Wakefield rebuts accusations following Quran damage
Hafiz Muhammad Mateen Anwar, the Imam of the Jamia Masjid Swafia in Wakefield, which is at the centre of the controversy over damage to the Quran in a local school, has given an interview denying accusations levelled against him and his community. Speaking to Roshan Muhammad Salih for 5Pillars, he said that the mother of the boy suspended from the school in connection with the incident was not coerced into apologising at a meeting in the mosque, rather she had reached out to them to speak. He said they were not trying to introduce blasphemy laws or sharia law by the back door – they followed British law. He believed the mosque had handled the situation well, holding a public meeting to appraise the community of the truth, to stop any action that may result. The interview is here
NHS and mosques should work together to improve healthcare for Muslim women
Faith Action has issued a report outlining a plan to tackle maternal health inequalities in black and Asian Muslim communities. It follows an engagement event at Al Madina Mosque in Barking, in partnership with the British Islamic Medical Association, to understand the concerns of Muslim women. Recent statistics published in the BMJ show that women from Asian ethnic backgrounds are twice as likely to die in childbirth, whilst for black women the rate is four times higher. Other surveys suggest Muslim women face racism and stereotyping, a lack of personalised care and a denial of choice when accessing maternity services. The report suggests solutions include more training of NHS staff and new partnerships between health care services and mosques.
The Pope, like Lineker, used Nazi reference
The Pope, like Gary Lineker, has used references to Nazi Germany to denounce a political act. Gary Lineker’s infamous tweet likening the proposed illegal immigration bill to 1930s Germany, resulted in his suspension and chaos at the BBC. The Associated Press reports that last week, the Pope was quoted as criticising the government in Nicaragua, where religious leaders have been arrested or fled, for acting as “if it were a communist dictatorship in 1917 or a Hitlerian one in 1935”. Nicaragua responded by suspending Vatican ties. The report quotes the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum saying the Holocaust should not be exploited for opportunistic purposes.
New York diocese files for bankruptcy after sex abuse claims
The Associated Press reports that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany has become the latest diocese in New York to seek bankruptcy protection, after facing hundreds of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse. The decision halts legal actions and will allow the diocese to develop a reorganization plan. Albany is the fifth of eight dioceses in New York to take this action, but some lawyers accuse it of using bankruptcy as a legal tactic.
Tragic death of Canon Anna Matthews
Tributes are being paid to Canon Anna Matthews, vicar of St Bene’t’s Church in Cambridge, whose sudden death at the age of 44 has been met with shock and sorrow. In her 20-year ministry, she served in parishes, was a director of ordinands and precentor at St Albans Cathedral. Her congregation was told at the weekend that she had taken her own life and the words of her husband Stephen at the service have been widely shared: “As I prayed for Anna, I was given an image that has been of great comfort to me: Even as she fell, God lifted Anna up. She was shining in the light of the resurrection as the hurt that overcame her fell away, along with her body”. Church Times reflection here
