Same sex marriage ban in the Church of England “will not change”
Church of England bishops met yesterday to agree their recommendations on same sex marriage, to be presented to the February session of the General Synod in three weeks time. The outcome of their discussions may be published later this week. But the BBC’s religion editor Aleem Maqbool reported on the BBC TV Ten o’clock news last night that four bishops have told him church teaching will not change in the foreseeable future, that there will not be a vote, but prayers will be adopted to bless same sex civil marriages. The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher, tweeted before the discussion that he was “praying for and seeking a positive & abundantly generous pastoral response to the Living in Love & Faith shared discernment. It needs to be good news for LGBTI+ 🌈 people, for the people of England whom we serve, & for God’s Church”.
Appeal for stronger partnership between Muslims and British government
A report on contributions by British Muslims to civic society was launched in Parliament on Monday. The British Muslim Civil Society Report, written by Dr. Usaama al-Azami and commissioned by Mercy Mission UK, says there needs to be a stronger partnership between Muslims and the government. It criticises the absence of Muslim organisations in the 16 charities that were recently awarded £1.3m through the Faith New Deal Fund, which encourages projects to tackle social issues. And it calls on groups such as the NCVO to publish regular information on religious non-profit organisations to consider how Muslim charities fit into the wider sector. Civil Society quotes the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities saying it does help organisations from diverse backgrounds and has given Tell Mama £5m to monitor and combat anti-Muslim hatred. View a film about the launch on the Islam Channel’s Youtube here
Buddhist meditation could reduce risk of mental illness and physical disease
Researchers from Shanghai Medical Centre have found that frequent meditation by Buddhist monks over several years boosted the immune system and reduced the risk of anxiety, depression and heart disease. Their report, published in General Psychiatry, says meditation helps regulate microbiota composition in the gut but they found a significant difference in samples from monks who meditated for at least two hours per day over many years, to a control group. However, they cautioned that their findings were based on results from 56 monks living at high altitude and concluded the role of meditation impacting mental and physical illness merited further research.
Bill to ban conversion therapy about to be published
The Culture Secretary, Michelle Donelan, has announced that a bill banning conversion therapy on the basis of sexuality or being transgender, will be published shortly. Some Christians have campaigned against the ban saying it will criminalise prayer and infringe free speech. Ms Donelan said in a written statement that legislation must not “harm the growing number of children and young adults experiencing gender-related distress, through inadvertently criminalising or chilling legitimate conversations parents or clinicians may have with their children”. The Christian Legal Centre says it will prepare for legal action against proposed legislation.
New safeguarding lead bishop in CofE
The Bishop of Stepney, Joanne Grenfell, is to be the Church of England’s new lead safeguarding bishop, taking over from the Bishop of Rochester, Jonathan Gibbs, who leaves the role at the end of March, when his three-year term ends. Bishop Joanne chairs the national working group looking at the Seal of the Confessional, whose secrecy is under consideration. She is a suffragan bishop but in this new role will attend the House of Bishops and chair the National Safeguarding Steering Group.
Antisemitism poster campaign
The Campaign Against Antisemitism has launched a poster campaign after the most recent Home Office figures showed 1,919 hate crimes against Jews were recorded by police in 2021-22. Digital billboard ads will be seen in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and other major cities. They feature pictures of a Holocaust survivor, recent immigrants and a member of the Charedi Jewish community, which is frequently targeted by hate crime.
