Church of Uganda support of anti LGBT+ laws “utterly unChristlike”
The bishops of London, Chelmsford, Newcastle, Worcester and Selby have tweeted their condemnation of Uganda’s new law criminalising same sex conduct, which has been welcomed by the Church of Uganda, part of the Anglican communion. They issued statements this weekend after days of silence. Bishop Sarah Mullaly said it was “an attack on fundamental human dignity and international human rights” and she was praying for the LGBT+ community there living in fear. The new law means that LGBT+ people face life imprisonment. The charge of aggravated homosexuality, including sex with a minor, incest and having sex while HIV positive, could lead to the death penalty. The Bishop of Worcester John Inge said the law was absolutely appalling and the Archbishop of Uganda’s support of it was “profoundly disturbing and utterly unChristlike”. The Archbishop of Uganda, Dr Stephen Kaziimba, made clear that the church does not support the death penalty. Lambeth Palace has not issued a statement.
Soul Survivor founder first reported for wrestling and massages 20 years ago
The Times reports that Mike Pilavachi, founder of Soul Survivor, was first reported for inappropriate behaviour in 2004 – almost 20 years ago. Yet he was only formally suspended from the church on 20 May this year after reports appeared in The Telegraph a month earlier. The report quotes Chris Bullivant, a communications officer at Soul Survivor from 2000 to 2005, who said he had heard in 2004 that Pilavachi had massaged an intern at his home. In a tweet, Mr Bullivant explains that he told a senior official who dismissed the story. Soul Survivor is an evangelical charismatic movement within the Church of England, which began in 1993, has a church in Watford and organised summer festivals for young people. The story has shocked generations of young people who attended Soul Survivor, went on to be ordained and take on leadership roles within the CofE. An internal CofE investigation is underway. Our Soul Survivor explainer is here
Vatican: Be good neighbours on social media
The Vatican has produced a reflection of a Christian response to social media, which urges people to be good neighbours with a sense of belonging, reciprocity and solidarity. “Towards Full Presence. A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media”, published by the Dicastery for Communication today, says listening with love to others online will foster trust, equality and inclusion. It says online conversations should lead to human encounters, encouraging community and bridging divides.
Tariq Ramadan says court ordeal was politically motivated
Former Oxford university professor, Dr Tariq Ramadan, who was cleared of rape charges and sexual coercion by a Swiss court last week, has told the Middle East Monitor that he believes the allegations were politically motivated, orchestrated by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. A Swiss woman alleged she was raped and sexually assaulted by Dr Ramadan in a Geneva hotel in 2008, but his defence said she was an obsessive sexual predator who had tried to seduce him. He faces four other charges of rape in France and has always denied all charges. He says they are politically motivated because of his criticism of the French state.
British Muslims’ MA opportunities to build bridges in society
The Aziz Foundation is partnering with the University of London to offer up to five master’s scholarships for the 2023-24 academic year. They will be awarded to students active in British Muslim communities and “keen to build bridges with all parts of British society”. Subject areas include human rights, refugees and migration, cultural, intellectual and visual history, law and regulation, and urban history and culture. The Foundation has awarded more than 500 scholarships over partner universities in the past five years, contributing to widening access to under represented groups.
Sikh rally in London
Thousands of Sikhs travelled from all over Britain for the annual commemorative rally to mark the 39th anniversary of the attack on the Golden Temple, Amritsar in June 1984. Indian troops fired on more than 2,000 people gathered inside and around 400 civilians and 87 soldiers lost their lives. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, leader of the movement for an autonomous Sikh state, was killed on that day. At the rally in London, there were calls for an independent “Khalistan” state in the Punjab region, and large yellow Khalistan flags were prominent.
Sikh business media and arts successes celebrated at national awards ceremony
The British Sikh Awards annual ceremony has honoured individuals and groups who have contributed to business, the arts and community service. Organised by Oceanic Consulting, the awards aim to inspire future generations of Sikhs and encourage greater diversity and inclusivity across all aspects of society. They were presented at an event in Birmingham last week and among the 14, the Community Initiative of the Year went to Dr Opinderjit Kaur Takhar, of the Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies; the award for media, arts & cultural awareness went to Amrit Singh Mann of Sky News; and the charity of the year was Sikh Women’s Aid in Wolverhampton. Full list here
The Archbishop interviews John Cleese
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby turned the tables on broadcasters yesterday by presenting his own BBC Radio 4 programme, the first in a series of interviews beginning with John Cleese. Prompted by a discussion of “The Life of Brian”, they found common ground in the power of the story of Jesus including the beatitudes. John Cleese said he thought Jesus’ teaching was about reducing the power of the ego to stop pretending you were more important than the next person; the Archbishop said the story for him was about power shown in service and humility. There was also surprising agreement on taking the Bible literally, with John Cleese saying literally minded people have a problem with context and in religion, take things as literally true. The archbishop said that was very true and – though he would get into trouble for saying this – he believed our understanding of what the Bible means, changes, for example on the creation story. The programme is on BBC Sounds here
Protests as medieval icon moved from Moscow gallery to Cathedral
A 15th century religious icon “The Trinity”, by the Russian medieval painter Andrei Rublev, has been moved from Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, on the orders of President Putin. The gesture is said to further strengthen ties between the church and state. Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, stood next to the icon in a service yesterday and said the president made the decision so that the people of Moscow could bow to the shrine. But the Gallery objected to the handover saying that the icon is too fragile and precious to be moved.
Bible banned in Utah district schools for “vulgarity, pornography and violence“
A school district committee in the US state of Utah has banned the Bible because of its “vulgarity and violence”. A local committee took the decision after one parent complained that the Bible was pornographic, “one of the most sex-ridden books around”. They said the Bible contained “incest, onanism, bestiality, prostitution, genital mutilation, fellatio, dildos, rape, and even infanticide”. The committee further decreed the Bible would only be in school libraries at high school level based on age appropriateness. The district oversees the education of 74,000 children but the decision is subject to an appeal and a final decision by the Board of Education. The local committee is also considering banning the book of Mormon, the sacred book of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is based in Utah. Book reviews and bans are under consideration in several US states and are said to be a key issue in next year’s presidential election.
Naked protest on the altar of St Peter’s Basilica
A man protesting at the war in Ukraine stripped naked and stood on the marble altar of St Peter’s Basilica, with the words “Save children of Ukraine” written on his back. The man is a Polish national and was taken away by police, arrested and expelled from Italy. Afterwards, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti performed the penitential rite, blessing the altar again after its “desecration”.
