Ten faith leaders urge Government to adopt “just and compassionate” asylum policy
Ten faith leaders including both the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, have written a letter to The Times urging the Government to develop a long-term strategy for tackling the refugee crisis and human trafficking. The proposal will be put forward again in the House of Lords today when the Illegal Migration Bill reaches its final report stage. Their letter says the Bill falls short of Britain’s “obligation towards the most vulnerable” and an alternative approach is needed “that reflects our country’s history, values and responsibility”. They say the government should ensure that people seeking sanctuary are protected, claims decided quickly and justly, human traffickers are punished, and the root causes of mass migration are properly addressed. The bishops have put forward and backed several amendments for example on pregnant women in detention, the treatment of children and compliance with international law. The signatories are: Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury; Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York; Paul Butler, Bishop of Durham; Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, Territorial Commander of the Salvation Army; Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, CEOs of Progressive Judaism; Mrs Trupti Patel, president, Hindu Forum of Britain; Lord Singh of Wimbledon, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations UK; Imam Qari Asim, Senior Imam, Makkah Mosque, Leeds; and Imam Dr. Sayed Razawi, Chief Imam (Scotland), Director-General of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society.
Bishop defends closing down the Independent Safeguarding Board
Dr Joanne Grenfell, the Bishop of Stepney who is leading the Church of England’s response to safeguarding, has given an interview to the Church Times defending the abolition of the Independent Safeguarding Board on 21 June. She said the relationship between the two members of the Board who were sacked, and the Archbishops’ Council, had become untenable and persisting with the ISB was not in the “best interests of independence or the scrutiny or survivors”. She declined to say when a new body would be set up but said it was important to do so well, not quickly, and there was a long way to go. Church Times article here
Former chief rabbi of Moscow branded a foreign agent
The former chief rabbi of Moscow, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, has been declared a foreign agent by Russia, amid Moscow’s growing crackdown on political dissidents. He was chief rabbi for 30 years and acting president of the Conference of European Rabbis until March 2022, when he resigned in protest at the war in Ukraine and fled in exile to Israel, urging others to do the same. The Russian Justice Ministry accused him of disseminating false information about Putin’s political decisions, shortly after he became a vocal opponent of the invasion. This is reportedly the first time Russia has branded a rabbi an enemy of the state since Stalin’s era.
Theos think tank charts future of United Reformed Church
A report into the United Reformed Church by the think tank Theos, charts the way it is finding a role despite falling numbers. It has around 40,000 members and 1300 buildings with an average of 30 people in each, in contrast to around 200,000 when it was formed 50 years ago as an alliance between the Congregational and Presbyterian denominations. The Theos report says the URC is at a crossroads as it charts its future. It concludes that the URC has vibrant local community work contributing far more than might be expected in terms of community outreach, but this is difficult to maintain due to aging and declining local congregations. It has a network of “Church Related Community Workers” who serve alongside congregations and ministers. But its top-heavy structures “risk stifling rather than enabling local congregational life and mission”. The report recommends the improvement of leadership and ministerial training, reforming church structures, and prioritising “local congregational life, discipleship and holistic mission”.
A quarter of US adults watch online worship but it is a solitary experience
The latest Pew Research suggests that online religious services appeal to many Americans, with around a quarter of US adults regularly watching and the large majority highly satisfied with the experience. The survey of more than 11,000 US adults was conducted in November 2022. It found that watching online was a solitary experience with only 28 per cent feeling a connection to other worshippers. And only 32 per cent felt they were actively engaged with the worship service as a participant. A majority of U.S. adults – 57 per cent – said they do not generally attend religious services and did not do so in the past month, either in person or virtually. Pew Research report is here
Christian freedom of religion campaigners say international response to persecution is muted
Aid to the Church in Need has issued a Freedom of Religion or Belief report counting 61 countries where citizens faced severe violations of religious freedom. It says there has been an increasingly muted response from the international community towards atrocities by “strategically important” autocratic regimes such as China and India. Key countries such as Nigeria and Pakistan “escaped international sanctions”. A report in the Spectator quotes Baroness Cox, a Christian campaigner for religious freedom, saying that lack of media coverage on this story is a major concern.
US conservative religious groups campaign against abortion in Africa
Conservative American religious groups are moving their campaign against abortion to Africa. The Associated Press reports that Family Watch International, a nonprofit Christian conservative organisation against anti LGBTQ+ and abortion, helped to organise a “family values and sovereignty” meeting in Uganda with more than 20 African countries represented. There is a fear that the overturning of Roe vs Wade in the US could reverse abortion provision in Africa, where 77 per cent of abortions are deemed unsafe. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of abortion and unplanned pregnancies in the world.
Kidnapped nun says her five years in captivity were a blessing
Sister Gloria Cecilia Narváez Argoti, a missionary nun from Colombia, who was abducted in Mali in February 2017 and held for nearly five years, has described the years she spent with her abductors as “spiritually transformative” and a blessing in her life. Independent Catholic News has found her account in the foreword to the 2023 edition of the Religious Freedom in the World Report. Sister Gloria said “Undoubtedly, it was one of the most spiritually transformative experiences of my life. Today, looking back, even though it sounds paradoxical, it was perhaps one of the greatest blessings that God has given me”. Sr Gloria wrote.
The story of an Anglican vicar struggling in the cost of living crisis
An Anglican vicar at St Mary’s in Luton, the Rev Canon Jospeh Adewale, has told Luton Today of his financial difficulties that left him in debt and seeking support from the Clergy Support Trust. He explained that he and his family of four children live in a flat, but he fell into debt when his fuel costs rose by £200 a month, forcing him to seek help. He felt it put him under extreme strain, especially when he was sent threatening letters from suppliers, but the Trust has helped him get out of the spiral of debt. It is reported that the charity has financially supported almost one fifth of the CofE’s clergy.
