“Humanism: A Christian heresy”
Humanism is a Christian heresy, argues historian Tom Holland in a lecture delivered for the Theos think tank. He said the humanist belief in the worth, dignity, fundamental rights and autonomy of the individual are “so widely accepted in contemporary Britain that many of us barely recognise them as doctrines at all”. While humanism elevates reason and the application of scientific inquiry to ethics and human rights, Tom Holland said the origins of humanist concepts lie not in science, but in medieval theology which shaped law. He said humanism is essentially Western and today, our values are not as universal as most of us had assumed them to be. “To live in a Western country is to live in a society that for centuries — and in many cases millennia — has been utterly transformed by Christian concepts and assumptions. So profound has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western civilisation that it has come to be hidden from view”. The lecture is on YouTube here and an abridged version is on Unherd here
New President of US Catholic Bishops’ conference denies rift with the Pope
The United States Bishops’ conference has elected Archbishop Timothy Broglio as its new president for a three-year appointment. Currently the Archbishop for the US Military Services, he was in the past a diplomat at the Vatican and represents a conservative, orthodox view of doctrine. Christopher Lamb, writing in The Tablet, says “Broglio was once linked to a nexus of power that sought to prevent the future pope (Francis) being appointed archbishop of Buenos Aires and later tried to have him unseated”. But at his inaugural press conference last week, Broglio denied that he was “anti-Francis” and said he was in communion with the Pope as a brother bishop. In answer to a question about his 2018 email in which he said that the crisis of sexual abuse by priests in the USA is directly related to homosexuality, he said “I think it is certainly an aspect of the sexual crisis that can‘t be denied. And that’s certainly not to point a finger at anyone, but I think it would be naive to suggest that there’s no relationship between the two.”
Cardinal Zen, democracy supporter, fined £400 in Hong Kong
Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen, retired bishop of Hong Kong now aged 90, has been fined £400 after being found guilty of failing to register a now-disbanded fund for pro-democracy protesters. Reuters reports the Principal Magistrate saying the fund “had political objectives and thus it was not established solely for charitable purposes”. Zen was arrested in May with flour other trustees and the secretary who all pleaded not guilty but all were convicted and fined at the same hearing.
Vatican regrets violation of bishop pact with China
The Vatican has expressed surprise and regret over the installation of a bishop in China that violates a bilateral pact on the appointment of bishops in the country. Bishop Giovanni Peng Weizhao has been named as auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi, a diocese not recognized by the Holy See. The agreement between the Vatican and China allows the Pope to appoint and veto bishops approved by the Chinese Communist Party. The pact was formed in 2018 and renewed every two years since then. The Vatican said in a statement that it hoped similar episodes would not be repeated
British mosques and leaders honoured at Mosque Expo exhibition
Hundreds of Muslims gathered for the annual Beacon Mosque awards at a hotel near Heathrow this weekend, a ceremony which was part of the Mosque Expo 2022 exhibition. Alongside 30 exhibitors, there were seminars on future proofing mosques, fund raising and financial management, female spiritual leadership, the madrassah curriculum and chaplaincy. The England Cricket Board and Football Association put on sessions for children and advertised their programmes. There were eleven awards including most impactful Imam, which went to Ebrahim Esajkee, of the Bilal Academy in Walsall; and the best convert support, won by York Mosque and Islamic Centre
Manchester synagogue closes after 70 year history
Manchester Reform Synagogue, which serves 700 members, is selling its building in the city centre after a 70 year history, to make way for a hotel and office building development, backed by former footballer Gary Neville. A de-consecration service was held this weekend and the Principal Rabbi, Robyn Ashworth-Steen, said there were mixed emotions as the building holds memories, but it is falling apart. Part of the ark which holds the Torah fell down last week. The rabbi told Manchester World that it was an exciting time in the community’s history and it will start an engagement project in the new year to decide next moves, though she favoured continuing to have a presence in the city centre. Meanwhile, it is moving into temporary space at the University chaplaincy until a new home is found. It is the second oldest progressive Jewish community in Britain.
Sermon on Jesus’ trans body shocks Cambridge congregation
The Telegraph tells the story of a sermon delivered by a student at Trinity College Chapel Cambridge, suggesting Jesus’ body was a trans body, which shocked the congregation. The report says the student showed three paintings of Jesus which led him to interpret that Jesus’ body was simultaneously masculine and feminine. One showed a wound in the side of Christ which the student likened to a vagina. The report says people left in shock and in tears. The Dean of Trinity College, Dr Michael Banner, is quoted saying such a view was legitimate and he would not issue an invitation “to someone who I thought would deliberately seek to shock or offend a congregation”. A college spokesperson is quoted saying: “The sermon explored the nature of religious art, in the spirit of thought-provoking academic inquiry, and in keeping with open debate and dialogue at the University of Cambridge.”
