Archbishop expresses solidarity with Ukraine against absolute horror of war
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has ended his three-day visit to Ukraine, with a message of determination to stand in solidarity with its “heroic people”, against the evil and “absolute horror” of war. He told the Times he felt great grief and compassion witnessing the makeshift graves and sheltering place of around 400 civilians who were killed from Russian attacks in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv. In an interview with the Church Times, he said that the war “was started illegally with no justification, has had evil consequences flowing from its start, which are indescribably horrible in terms of the deaths of many, many civilians and soldiers. None of this was necessary”. It was right to seek to end a war, but the resilience of the Ukrainians was extraordinary and they are “quite determined to get a just peace”. During his visit, he held talks with faith leaders from all denominations, hearing of their experiences, hardship and need, and pledging support.
Commons inquiry into assisted dying
The Commons Health and Social Care Committee has announced that it is to hold an inquiry into the law on assisted dying, focussing on the healthcare aspects. Under the Suicide Act 1961, assisting someone to take their own life is an offence carrying up to 14 years in prison. There have been various attempts to change the law, but all have failed after opposition, including from religious groups. In 2021, Lord Forsyth’s amendment was defeated and Baroness Meacher’s bill ran out of time. The Committee will consider ethical and medical issues involved.
Presbyterian church blasts “deplorable” abortion laws in N Ireland
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has denounced the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for his decision to commission abortion services, saying it is deeply regrettable and deplorable. The Rev Trevor Gribben, Clerk of the General Assembly and General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church, said that as a Church with a strong pro-life position “we want to make clear that this is not only an affront to democracy, but also to the sacredness of life”. He said the development was an abuse of the fragile devolution settlement. In a statement , the UK Government said it had been forced to act three years after the decriminalisation of abortion in Northern Ireland, as the Northern Ireland Department of Health had not ensured the availability of services and had shown no indications that they would act to provide them.
Church seeks social movement like Methodism to combat poverty
The Archbishop of the Church in Wales, Andrew John, has said new reports of poverty in south Wales are an absolute disgrace. A charity in south Wales told the BBC that people were living on donated dog food and heating food on radiators to save fuel costs. The Church in Wales is running a campaign to engage the whole community in caring for the vulnerable through providing basic food and household goods at low cost. The Archbishop said he was convinced that “a broad coalition of care across the whole of society can be as transformative as the great social movements of old such as the rise of Methodism”. The campaign is asking supermarkets to shift products into the basics and essential range, churches and communities to tackle hygiene poverty and politicians to seek constantly to alleviate the reality of poverty and its causes.”
UK Hindu employees fear openly speaking about their faith
The global diversity and inclusion business consultancy, Pearn Kandola, says its recent research into Hindus in the British workforce, has found that many do not feel that they are able to express their faith openly. “Religion at Work: Experiences of Hindu Employees” is the first in a series of reports looking at religious expression in the workplace, with others covering Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism. The qualitative research involving 527 UK Hindu employees, said 38 per cent had a request to take annual leave to celebrate a religious festival rejected; 32 per cent did not feel comfortable discussing religious festivals at work; 93 per cent of those who wear religious dress chose not to do so at work. There was a fear that speaking openly about their faith at work would bring consequences and many could not express their religious identity freely. The Hindu employees wanted more education, training and awareness courses to understand more about Hindu festivals and practices.
Nine dead and eight missing after flash floods at baptism ceremony
The Associated Press reports that at least nine people died and eight others are missing after a flash flood washed away members of a church congregation as baptisms were taking place in the Jukskei River in Johannesburg. The report says the river is frequently used for baptisms and there had been a warning because of heavy rain in the last three months. Emergency services are continuing their search.
Christian charity used as front for drug smuggling
Three men have been found guilty of using a charity “Vision Christian Ministries” as a front for importing 400 kilos of cannabis into the UK. The cannabis, worth up to £2million, was trafficked from Jamaica to the UK, via Birmingham Airport, and had been packed into sealed tins of Calaloo, a Jamaican green vegetable, and Akee fruit. Dalton Anderson, 50, Alvin Russell, 45, and Sinclair Tucker, 64, stood trial at Birmingham Crown Court last week on charges of conspiring to import a class B drug.
Census continued…
Decline of Christianity in England and Wales not irreversible
The Bishop of Ripon, Helen-Ann Hartley has said the decline of Christian affiliation indicated in the 2021 census is not irreversible. The figures show that 46 per cent identify as Christian, a decline of 13 per cent over 10 years and 25 per cent over 20 years. She told the Sunday programme on BBC Radio 4 that Christianity was not in decline in every region. In the northwest of England it is growing, in rural communities, churches are at the heart of society and throughout the nations it is churches and other faith groups running food banks. “We shouldn’t be complacent, but there is every reason to be hopeful”, she said. On the place of CofE bishops in the Lords, she said the way they are organised is a template for the future – they represent regions, they have a cut off retirement date and they are speaking out on social justice but not aligned to political parties. Establishment of the CofE was not about preaching Anglicanism, but being there for everyone, protecting freedom for all faiths, she said.
2021 Census hides “quiet ripples of the numinous” in a quest for meaning
Chine McDonald, Director of the think tank Theos, says it has been obvious for years that practising Christianity in England and Wales is the exception rather than the norm. But in an article for the Financial Times, she said the bald statistics in the 2021 census showing a decline of Christian affiliation, hide “quiet ripples of the numinous; the quest for meaning that is the raison d’être of religious groups”. She wonders what the census results would have shown “if people were instead asked to report the number of times they had been inside a local church building: whether for weddings or funerals, Easter or Christmas services, parent and toddler playgroups or debt centres, food banks or warm spaces for those struggling with the cost of living and energy bills”. And despite decades of the theory predicting the decline of religiosity — secularisation — Theos research into what is meant by non-religion points to a wide variety of views in this category, from ardent opponents, through people who see a cultural value in religion, to “spiritual nones”, who believe and do as many spiritual things as the religious but dislike the label. View Prof Linda Woodhead’s RMC lecture on the future of religion in Britain here.
Church buildings and the census in Stoke on Trent
BBC Radio Stoke presenter, the Rev Geoffrey Eze, says the census was a sign that people are speaking more honestly about how they feel about belief, but people know his church in Stoke for what it is. He told the Stoke Sentinel: “They pass by it all the time. It’s a reminder that there is something greater, and they do call upon it.. We’re all looking for that answer, we’re looking for spaces just like here at Stoke Minster, just like a gurdwara, just like a mosque, where we confront that which is sacred enough to us… I think it’s an exciting opportunity to engage with others”.
A “truly irreligious and multi-religious country “
In the aftermath of the 2021 census results, the National Secular Society says the case for the separation of church and state has never been stronger. With those affiliating to Christianity dropping to 46 per cent and the number of non-religious at 37 per cent, the NSS said: “In this truly irreligious and multi-religious country, the presence of an established church is unfair, undemocratic, and absurd. We need a secular state and we need it urgently”. It is mounting a membership drive, saying it needs help to challenge “those who want to maintain the status quo”, who it says are powerful, well-funded, and strongly motivated to keep a tight grip on Christian privileges.
