Putin takes aim at the Church of England
President Putin has mocked the Church of England’s recent synod question about using gender-neutral terms for God and its decision to bless same-sex couples, saying that the West is heading for a “spiritual catastrophe” and was waging a culture war against Russian Orthodox and traditional Christian values. In a wide-ranging speech defending his invasion of Ukraine, he said: “The Anglican Church is considering a gender-neutral God. May God forgive them for they know not what they do … They distort historical facts, constantly attack our culture, the Russian Orthodox Church, and other traditional religions of our country.” He accused the West of destroying the family, cultural and national identity, adding: “Perversion, and the abuse of children are declared the norm. And priests are forced to bless same-sex marriages.” The Church of England said there were no plans to change the gender of God in prayers. More widely, Putin accused the West of starting the war in Ukraine as a provocation against his country and said Russia would suspend its participation in the New Start treaty, which limits the number of nuclear warheads, missiles and bombers that the United States and Russia can own.
English cathedrals honour Ukraine
Church of England cathedrals will be lit up blue and yellow to mark the first anniversary of war in Ukraine. There will be vigils, processions, prayers on the hour, special services shared with Ukrainian communities and exhibitions sharing their stories. The Association of English Cathedrals lists events planned for the anniversary day — Friday 24 February — including a number of prayer and candlelit vigils and exhibitions of photography depicting conflict and emergency response. Luke Harding, Ukraine correspondent of The Guardian, who formerly worked in Moscow, will speak at Winchester Cathedral next month on his reports from the day the Russians invaded to date.
Wee Free SNP leadership contender loses backers after moral pronouncements
The Scottish National Party leadership hopeful Kate Forbes, a member of the “Wee Frees”, the Free Church of Scotland, has lost half her backers after telling Sky News that having children and sex outside marriage was wrong according to her faith. Her church is strictly conservative, and she is known to oppose same-sex marriage. But she says she is committed to carrying on with her campaign, describes her views as mainstream and defends the right to live in a pluralistic society. The row, she said, prompted the question: what does liberalism mean?
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pays $5m to settle financial dispute
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued a statement saying it and its investment management company have agreed to pay $5m to settle charges that they hid the church’s multibillion-dollar stock portfolio from the public. The US Securities and Exchange Commission, the financial watchdog, said shell companies had been used to mask investments in public businesses, which reached $32bn. In the statement, the church said it had relied on regarding how to comply with its reporting obligations while attempting to maintain the privacy of the portfolio It regretted its mistakes and considers the matter closed.
Christians in India protest over rising persecution and hate crime
Vatican News reports that 15,000 Christians in India staged a peaceful protest in New Delhi demanding action against persecution and hate crimes. They say there has been a sharp escalation of targeted hate and violence against Christian communities in many states. John Dayal, of the All Indian Catholic Union, said 350 Christians were in jail in Uttar Pradesh alone for practising their faith, and that hundreds of tribal Christians had been forced out of their village in Chhattisgarh.
West London Synagogue warned its membership of Reform Movement could be ended
The Movement for Reform Judaism has warned its oldest and largest donor member, the West London Synagogue, that it faces termination of its membership over unpaid fees. The dispute began two years ago when the synagogue suspended membership over an “unhelpful” code of ethics. In a joint statement, both sides discussions had been amicable but the synagogue disputed it owed the money.
Muslim brain drain from France
Research by an academic at the University of Lille has found that many white-collar, highly educated Muslims are emigrating from France, with two-thirds of a study of 1,000 saying they left to practise their religion more freely. The study, reported in Bloomberg News, says a further 70 per cent reported that they fled to face less frequent incidents of racism and discrimination. The author says there is rampant institutional Islamophobia in France and people are moving to the UK, Canada, US and Dubai. Islam Channel summarises the story here
Lecturer suspended for saying homosexuality is invading the church
Aaron Edwards, lecturer at Cliff College, Derbyshire, a theological training college of Methodist heritage, has been suspended for two weeks after tweeting that “homosexuality is invading the church”. Cliff College immediately responded on Twitter that the language used was “inappropriate and unacceptable and does not represent either the views or the ethos of Cliff College, which is committed to being a safe and hospitable place”. Mr Edwards has written another lengthy thread about his suspension, saying he did not intend to cause harm but cannot apologise for his Christian beliefs.
