BBC Daily Service to be broadcast at 0545 on BBC local radio
The BBC has confirmed that the Daily Service, which is moving from BBC Radio 4 Extra, to BBC local radio and BBC Sounds, will be broadcast at 0545. A BBC spokesperson said:“We know how much listeners value The Daily Service and it will continue to provide a daily act of Christian worship on BBC Sounds. From Spring 2027, it will be broadcast across all BBC Local Radio stations, Monday to Friday from 5.45am to 6am, when the audience reach is broadly comparable to Radio 4 Extra’s current audience at 9.45am. All episodes will also be available on BBC Sounds, so listeners can hear the programme at a time that suits them.”
Pope Leo XIV’s doctors confirm ‘no further treatment is necessary’
The Vatican has issued a statement saying that Pope Leo XIV’s doctors confirm that the tumour removed on 13 October was a lung adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localised, noting that no further treatment is necessary. Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora issued a statement on Wednesday evening saying their judgment is based on an oncological assessment of histopathology and molecular testing on the tissue removed during the surgery.
Christian climate groups condemn Jackdaw gas field approval
Christian climate organisations have condemned the UK government’s decision to approve the Jackdaw North Sea gas field. SCIAF, the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, said the decision “flies in the face of climate science” and was “a cruel betrayal” of people on the frontline of the climate emergency. Its advocacy officer, Anne Callaghan, urged ministers to reverse the decision and reject the proposed Rosebank oil field. Christian climate charity Operation Noah also condemned the approval. Its chair, the Rev Dr Darrell Hannah, questioned the government’s description of the decision as “pragmatic”, given the extreme heat and wildfires experienced this summer.
Churches offer prayers for Aberfan on 60th anniversary of disaster
Services have been held in Wales to mark the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, when 144 people, including 116 children, died after a coal spoil tip collapsed onto Pantglas Junior School. Yesterday moring, King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prince William were present at a remembrance service at the Aberfan Memorial Garden, on the site of the former school, where they laid wreaths and observed a moment of silence. The King said the disaster was “the most tragic of days imaginable”. Hundreds of people, including Methodist church leaders, have laid white flowers at the graves of those who died. Church services have been held at St Elvan’s Church in Aberdare, St David’s Church in Merthyr Tydfil, and St David’s Cathedral in Cardiff. Bishop Mary Stallard paid tribute to generous valleys communties, who rallied round on the day and since, offering care, love, “and a gentle presence that communicates the possibility of hope”.
Heated Senedd debate on full face coverings “against British values”
Reform UK Senedd member Jason O’Connell, led a heated short debate in the Senedd on “Full-face coverings are against British values”. Backed by other members of his party, he started by addressing the problem of young people in Newport running riot in balaclavas, but moved on to discussing Muslim women wearing burkhas, a “symbol of oppression in extremist forms of Islam”, which he said, damages assimilation. Plaid Cymru’s deputy first minister, Sioned Williams, said the public could hear the “dog whistle, piercing debate”. She accused Reform UK of “weaponising discontent, driving division and stirring hate” and defended religious expression and values based on respect for every religion. In a forceful intervention, she said that to pit communities against each other was “shameful”. View the debate, the last business of the session, here
Church leaders condemn settler attacks on Christian village of Taybeh
The Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem have condemned “heinous” attacks by masked Israeli settlers against residents of Taybeh, the West Bank’s last entirely Christian village, and on diplomats in the area. The statement says local residents gathering olives during the annual harvest, and an American photographer documenting the story, were attacked. French, Belgian and Polish diplomats, together with a French mayor and Archbishop of Cambrai, were reportedly attacked by masked settlers in another area. The church leaders also condemned a religious ruling by Rabbi Dov Lior, in Israel’s Religious Zionist movement, which said Israeli Jews could take olives from Palestinian-owned groves in the West Bank, because the land belonged to Jewish people. Israeli authorities have since arrested several suspects, and President Isaac Herzog condemned the attacks.
Board of Deputies to vote on declaring the Green party as racist
The Board of Deputies of British Jews will vote this Sunday on a motion to declare the Green Party racist after party members passed the controversial “Zionism is Racism” motion earlier this month. One of the proposers, Max Royston, told the Jewish Chronicle that the Board has already denounced the party as antisemitic, which means it is racist. But a formal finding from the Board of Deputies will mean that every council and candidate will have to decide where they stand.
Report finds universities failing to meet needs of students of faith
A report by the British Muslim think tank Equi, “Have Faith in Higher Education”, suggests universities and colleges are failing to meet the needs of students of faith, despite faith being important to many young people. Based on polling of 1,363 students and 30 in-depth interviews, the report finds that 52 per cent say faith is important to them, providing stability and bringing students together. However, only 24 per cent believe their institution attracts students of faith, and only 30 per cent think sufficient support is given to help them find work after graduation. The report also examines campus chaplaincies and charitable activity, finding that half of Muslim students undertake voluntary or charitable work, compared with 36 per cent of students from other faiths. The report makes a series of recommendations: minimum standards for university faith spaces, an interfaith engagement fund from the Department for Education, giving chaplains the same status as other pastoral staff, the monitoring of freedom of religion and belief, and the development of participation programmes to reach under-represented communities. A summary of the report is on the Higher Education website Wonkhe, here
Skeleton in Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey may be medieval abbot
An archaeologist has identified the skeleton inside a Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey as probably belonging to a medieval abbot. Professor Warwick Rodwell identified the remains as those of a man aged 35 to 49, who died in the late 10th or early 11th century. The fourth-century limestone sarcophagus, inscribed with a Roman name, Valerius Amandinus, was discovered in 1820. Investigations in 2018 discovered the skeleton, surprising archaeologists who believed it was lost. Professor Rodwell believes the man was probably Ælfwig, abbot of Westminster for about 27 years, who died around 1020. A carved cross on the lid supports the theory that he was a senior church figure. Story in the Guardian here.
Cliff Richard to record reggae version of Psalm 23
Sir Cliff Richard is learning reggae so he can record a reggae version of Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd, likely to be part of his new album “Only Number Ones”. The Telegraph reports that he discussed the idea with broadcaster Iain Dale, for his podcast, recorded at a public event at the Rose Theatre in Kingston upon Thames. He said Chris Eaton, who wrote his 1990 hit Saviour’s Day, had composed the reggae version and he was trying to learn it. The album will include a Christmas track, and version of songs that made it to Number One in the charts. Story in The Sun here.
.
