Erdogan’s election win – a unique interaction of religion and politics
President Erdogan of Turkey has won another five years in office in a “unique example of the interaction between religion and politics”, according to Catholic commentator and academic, Professor Ian Linden. Writing in The Article, he charts the way Erdogan appealed to Islamic piety and culture, convincing the rural poor and working class. Hannah Lucinda Smith, writing in The Times, explains the way he brought Islam back into the state, by expanding religious schools, lifting the ban on the headscarf in universities and public office, encouraging new mosques to be built culminating in turning the Hagia Sophia, once a church and then a museum, into a mosque. This was the location of his last campaign visit. Criticised over his mishandling of the economy, record on human rights and ambivalent attitude to NATO, he has none the less been congratulated on his re-election by world leaders.
Call for British politicians to build relationships with faith groups
The director of British Future, Sunder Katwala, is appealing for political parties to follow the lead of King Charles at his coronation and rebuild relationships with all faith groups. Writing for Hyphen Online, he says this will echo the principle that good relations between faith groups can foster “better functioning politics and a more humane society”. He points to lessons of the local elections in Leicester where the Conservatives won 17 seats in wards with more Hindu voters, while Labour did well in areas with a higher proportion of Muslims. He concludes: “Politics forged through racial and religious frameworks are often divisive, and discourage a broader, inclusive, civic identity — something that all political parties seeking to govern should push back against”. Hyphen article is here
Death announced of Rev Canon John Oates, former rector of St Brides, Fleet St
The Rev Canon John Oates, rector of the journalists’ church St Bride’s Fleet Street, from 1984-2000, has died after a short illness, aged 93. He was there during the Wapping dispute as newspaper titles left his parish. He organised vigils in January 1986, when violence erupted on the picket lines at Wapping, and in 1987 a vigil was held for John McCarthy and the other hostages seized in Beirut. He was also chaplain to the London Press Club, the Publicity Club of London, the Chartered Institute of Journalists and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. A Times obituary pays tribute to the way he was “equally at ease” with unions and proprietors of national newspapers, many of whom lauded him and his wife with a retirement dinner at Claridges.
Jesuit protest to clear name of Fr Stan Swamy
Jesuit Missions, the international office of Jesuits in Britain, has launched a petition to clear the name of Fr Stan Swamy, an Indian Jesuit priest and activist who was jailed for unlawful activities, but whom the Jesuits believe was unjustly framed. They say he spent 50 years fighting for indigenous rights in the Indian state of Jharkhand and was imprisoned for supposed involvement in violent protests in 2018 in the western town of Bhima Koregaon. But a Massachusetts based digital forensics firm concluded that falsified evidence was planted on his computer. He died of Covid-19 in July 2021 after spending 7 months in an Indian prison. The petition calls on the Indian government to clear his name.
Scorsese plans another film about Jesus
Film director Martin Scorsese has announced that he will make a film about Jesus. He made the promise while visiting the Vatican for a conference on “The Global Aesthetics of the Catholic Imagination”, and while there, he met the Pope. The Guardian among other publications, quotes him saying: “I have responded to the Pope’s appeal to artists in the only way I know how: by imagining and writing a screenplay for a film about Jesus. And I’m about to start making it”. Scorsese was raised in an Italian American family, once considered training for the priesthood and still describes himself as Catholic. In 1988, he directed “The Last Temptation of Christ”, which attracted protests and accusations of blasphemy for depicting Christ marrying and raising a family with Mary Magdalene in a Satan-induced hallucination while on the cross.
Evidence lost in Jewish Free School pupil’s death inquiry
The Metropolitan Police has apologised after losing evidence linked to the death of 14 year old Mia Janin, a pupil at the Jewish Free School in Kenton, north west London, who took her own life in March 2021. The BBC reports that Mia’s parents had raised bullying concerns with staff at the school prior to her death. Her father Mariano said the Metropolitan Police requested items for their investigation and said Mia’s mobile phone would be the key. The Met said it was extremely sorry that the items had not been located.
Almost 4,000 US Methodist churches disaffiliate over same sex disagreement
New forms of the Methodist Church are appearing in the USA, as the United Methodists splinter in disagreements over same sex marriage and ordaining LGBTQ clergy. The Associated Press reports that “Lighthouse”, “Beacon” and “Oasis” churches are for people who want to stay United Methodists, while their home congregations have voted to leave. Each group assures people that they will not have to face another disaffiliation vote. The split has riven congregations – in one case the minister left but his congregation stayed. The congregations who have left the United Methodists have joined the Global Methodist Church, gone independent or joined different denominations. The United Methodists say almost 4,000 congregations out of a total of 30,000, have voted to disaffiliate.
Archbishop calls on Indian regional authorities to protect Christians
The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken of his distress at the attacks on Christians in the Indian state of Manipur, when 300 churches have been burned to the ground and more than one hundred villages destroyed. The violence was a flare-up in the conflict between the majority local Hindu Meiteis community and indigenous Kuki people, 90 percent of whom are Christians. It’s believed the spark was a Kuki protest over employment and education benefits. Justin Welby said on Twitter: “I’ve been distressed to hear about the attacks on the indigenous tribal Christians of Manipur, India, and of the churches that have been destroyed in recent weeks”, adding that he prayed regional authorities would protect minority groups including Christians and that justice and peace would prevail.
Icon taken on a tour of Russian troops
The Telegraph reports that a religious icon is being toured around the Russian front line in Ukraine, to boost morale. It says that Russian TV film shows soldiers making a sign of the cross and kissing the replica, which is said to have been blessed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and is being accompanied by Archpriest Vyacheslav, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Pope makes history by visiting TV studio for interview
The Pope has made history by being the first pontiff to go into a TV studio for an interview. He recorded an interview with Rai, the public broadcaster in Rome on Saturday, for broadcast on Sunday 4 June. There is scant detail of the content except his appeal for world peace and discussion of a range of contemporary themes. His visit followed another health scare, when a fever caused him to cancel appointments on Friday.
Lamb with slit throat prompts fear of occult resurgence in New Forest
A lamb has been found with a slit throat in the New Forest, prompting fears that it marks a return of occult practices in the area. The New Milton Advertiser reports that a farmer found the animal near Fritham, which is two miles away from St Peter’s church, Bramshaw, where in December, a dead cat was found hanging from a flagpole and a dead fox was deliberately placed on the doorstep. In 2019, the church was spray painted with Satanic symbols and nearby sheep and cattle were stabbed and sprayed with occult signs. In January this year, animal hearts surrounded by candles were found as part of an apparent ritual on Stagbury Hill in the New Forest, also nearby, and the farmer in this latest attack told reporters that that there had been a recent incident in Beaulieu involving a dead lamb with a bible placed on it. The local farming community said the attacks had sent shockwaves through society and urged people with information to call the police.
