Religion news 8 February 2023

Credit: Islamic Relief

All aid agencies appeal for Syria

The number of people who have died in the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey has now reached almost 8,000. All aid agencies have emergency appeals. Christian Aid is working with partners on the ground and is appealing for kits as survivors face extreme cold. Basic shelter, food, water and blankets are listed as emergency supplies needed immediately. CAFOD says this is another disaster for people already suffering from a 12 year conflict.

Church of England same-sex debate and vote today

The Church of England’s parliament, the general synod, is due to debate and vote today on proposals to continue the ban on same-sex marriage but allow the blessing of couples who have been married in civil ceremonies. Five hours has been set aside.

Timeline of sexuality debate in the CofE here
Living in Love and Faith factsheet here

All Souls withdraws payments to the diocese in protest

Premier Christian News says that All Souls Church Langham Place has written to the bishop of London saying it is pausing payments to the diocese until the general synod takes a decision on same-sex marriage. The letter, published by Anglican Ink, says the church expresses its concern at the bishops’ proposals: “Both the response and the draft prayers abandon confidence in the goodness and authority of God’s Word and in doing so they move the Church of England away from her historic formularies, which are foundational to our life together in London, England and as part of the global Anglican Communion.”

Private member’s bill could challenge same-sex marriage ban

The Church Times reports a fringe meeting at synod, when the former Second Church Estates Commissioner, Sir Tony Baldry, said that a private member’s bill permitting Church of England priests to marry same-sex couples would be one way of shifting the church. Labour MP, Ben Bradshaw, said he believed there would be support for such a move and that MPs were not minded to go for disestablishing the Church of England.

Clergy who bless couples could face legal action

Six lawyers who are member of general synod say priests who offer blessings to same-sex couples could face legal action because of potential “confusion” over the church’s laws on marriage. The Times reports that they have written to members of the general synod warning that legal advice offered to bishops over the blessings could be “legally mistaken” and clergy could be open to litigation which could be “costly, both financially and emotionally”.

Church language referring to God as male is challenged

The Church of England is to launch a project exploring the use of language in church service that refer to God as “He”. The Bishop of Lichfield Michael Ipgrave, vice-chairman of the church’s liturgical commission, announced the move at the general synod in reply to a question. The Women and the Church (WATCH) group said suggesting God is exclusively male “is a driver of much continuing discrimination and sexism against women.”

The growing popularity of human composting

Church of England bishops are considering the use of human composting where a body’s decomposition is accelerated by microbes, turning it into ash in a matter of weeks. The method is gaining popularity in the USA and is seen as an environmentally friendly method of disposal. Another method is and water cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, which was used for the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

One in five UK Muslim women never attend mosque

A report by Muslim Census in collaboration with Ta Collective says one in five Muslim women in the UK never attend a mosque. The same percentage have at some point been denied entry, with some praying in changing rooms, street corners, and car parks. The report says the wider social and spiritual implications of prioritising male facilities in religious spaces at the expense of female spaces have been overlooked in the UK. Leaders should determine how they can make their services as inclusive for Muslim women as possible.

Pastors seek review of execution process in Alabama

More than 170 pastors and other faith leaders in Alabama are seeking an independent review of execution procedures, after problems locating intravenous lines during three lethal injections. The state was forced to call off executions in July, September and November. In one case the execution was abandoned after a process lasting three hours.

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