Prayers, aid and friendship offered for people in flood hit Valencia
Pope Francis has expressed support and offered a blessing and prayers for the people of Valencia, which has been devastated by flash floods. At least 150 people were killed when a year’s worth of rain fell in only eight hours, wrecking infrastructure, buildings and possessions and sweeping people away. In a video message to archbishops in Spain, the Pope said: “I am close to them in this moment of catastrophe and I am praying for them.” The aid charity Caritas Spain is working with local institutions and dioceses to support those who have been displaced. The church is encouraging people to offer a helping hand. Three days of mourning have been declared.
US Church leaders prepare for violence and anger after election result
Churches in America are issuing advice to calm the heated atmosphere of fear and anxiety as the presidential election race draws to a close, and to prepare for any hint of violence following the result. Episcopalian bishops are issuing statements calling for peace, prayer vigils are being planned in the hours leading up to the polls closing, and additional prayers vigils are planned in the Episcopal cathedrals in Washington DC and New York for the day after the election. The United Methodists have produced a set of hourly prayers to run throughout polling day and are working with the Episcopalians on the poster campaign “Hate Divides, Love Unites”. Southern Baptists are asking members to accept the outcome graciously and offer kindness, respect and love to people who disagree. Galen Carey, from the National Association of Evangelicals, told a Religion Media Centre briefing that they were advising people to be patient as votes are cast, as delay doesn’t mean there is fraud going on; respect election officials; build bridges of understanding and pray for leaders.
Muslim ‘heartbreak’ over Gaza could swing vote in some US states
US foreign policy is the decisive issue for American Muslims voting in next week’s election, according to the country’s leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy group the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Robert McCaw, CAIR’s government affairs department director, told a Religion Media Centre briefing there are more than 2.5 million registered Muslim voters in the US, whose presence in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia, is enough to tip the balance. He said: “There has been a lot of heartbreak in the Muslim community about how the Biden administration has handled Gaza. [It] is on the top of every Muslim voter’s mind. They believe what’s happening in Gaza is a genocide.” CAIR is due to produce latest voting predictions today. The last set of statistics showed support for Harris and independent candidate Jill Stein neck and neck at 29 per cent, with 12 per cent for Trump and 18 per cent undecided. Maira Butt reports here.
Jewish vote also holds the balance and is shifting because of Israel Gaza war
The Jewish Chronicle carries a story saying that it is Jewish voters who will hold the balance in the tight US presidential election. It quotes the Republican Jewish Coalition spokesperson Sam Markstein saying that Jewish Americans make up a larger share of voters than the margin of victory in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and Michigan in 2016 or 2020, so they will help decide the outcome. The report says antisemitism, the current administration’s response to freeing Israeli hostages, and the danger felt by family members living in Israel, is causing voters to shift party allegiance – in both directions. It says the Manhattan Institute and the Jewish People Policy Institute expect Harris to be the Democrats’ worst performing candidate among Jewish voters since the 1980s.
Israel’s government suspends relations with Haaretz newspaper after publisher’s speech in London
Jewish News reports that Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry has announced it has suspended all cooperation and advertising with the Haaretz newspaper, following comments made by its publisher at an event at the JW3 centre in London on Sunday. Publisher Amos Schocken said “the Netanyahu government wants to continue the proliferation of settlements” and “doesn’t care about imposing the cruel apartheid regime on the Palestinian population”. The ministry accused him of making a speech that was as “deeply offensive and revealing a fundamental departure from core values, particularly as Israel conducts its most justified war, initiated in response to Hamas’s deadly October 7 attack”. The Haaretz board is considering its response. Mr Schocken has clarified his use of the words “terrorists” or “freedom fighters”.
Sikh Federation says men who killed Indira Ghandi 40 years ago were ‘Diamonds of the Sikh Nation‘
The Sikh Federation has marked the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the Indian prime minister, Indira Gandhi , with a statement saying: “31 October 1984 marks the day when Shaheed Bhai Beant Singh & Shaheed Bhai Satwant Singh delivered Justice for the Sikh Nation by punishing the power hungry Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, for her unforgivable crime of sending the Army to attack and destroy the Sikhs most sacred shrine, Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar in June 1984 and killing thousands of innocent Sikhs throughout Punjab”. The statement says her two attackers, her own Sikh bodyguards, “avenged this evil” by assassinating her. Bhai Beant Singh was shot dead at the scene. Bhai Satwant Singh was hanged along with accomplice Bhai Kehar Singh. The statement says: “Forever they and their kurbani (sacrifice) will be remembered as Diamonds of the Sikh Nation”.
King Charles once expressed disdain for “loathsome political correctness” in church
A letter from King Charles written in 1998, in which he speaks of the Orthodox tradition as not having been “corrupted by loathsome political correctness”, has been sold at auction in Cornwall. It was written to Dudley Poplak, an interior designer, who died in 2005 and was among several letters which were sold together for £1,700. Charles said: “Personally, the older I get, the more I am drawn to the great, timeless traditions of the Orthodox Church. They are the ones that have not been corrupted by loathsome political correctness”. His father, Prince Philip, was Greek Orthodox until he married Queen Elizabeth. King Charles is now supreme governor of the Church of England. The Mail enjoys the story here
Anglicans and Methodists re-affirm commitment to unity 21 years after covenant
Anglicans and Methodists in England are planning a number of services this weekend to mark the 21st anniversary of the covenant signed between the two churches, committing themselves to removing obstacles towards unity. New partnerships have formed in localities across the country, especially as congregations decline and buildings are closed, with joint worship, sharing of buildings, shared community projects and joint youth and community workers. A national online service will be posted today with representatives of both churches taking part, special prayers have been published, churches are being asked to mark the anniversary during their regular services this Sunday and on Monday, the archbishops of Canterbury and York will join the president and vice-president of the Methodist Conference at consecutive services at Methodist Central Hall and Westminster Abbey, reaffirming commitment to the covenant.
Seven Texas nuns dismissed after year long feud with the bishop
Seven Texas nuns have been dismissed from religious life after a year of “sustained defiance” of their superiors and a long feud with their bishop over the governance of their monastery. The Catholic News Agency says the story began when the bishop of Fort Worth, Michael Olson, launched an investigation into the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington, Texas, amid allegations that Rev Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach had conducted an affair with a priest, eventually leading to her dismissal from religious life. The nuns took legal action against him, the Vatican gave governance of the monastery to the Association of Christ the King, the nuns reinstalled Morther Teresa as prioress in an illicit election and “entrusted to laypeople” the property of the monastery. Mother Marie of the Incarnation, the president of the Association of Christ the King, said the nuns’ continued defiance had brought their dismissal and wished they would repent. The nuns are refusing to move out.
Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Pope’s adviser on clergy sex abuse, retires aged 80
Cardinal Sean O’Malley has resigned as archbishop of Boston, the fourth largest Catholic district in the USA. He has been Pope Francis’ lead adviser on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors for the past 10 years, dealing with clergy sexual abuse cases. GBH, a public service media organisation in Boston, says O’Malley, at 80, is five years beyond the average retirement age for a bishop. He continued to serve after his resignation was not accepted five years ago. He is highly regarded for creating new policies on clergy sexual abuse and settling hundreds of cases, before being asked to serve in the Vatican. His latest report, issued this week, said a streamlined process was needed for the resignation or removal of a church leader, when warranted.
Archbishop visits bike show and says he is ‘gripped with fascination‘
The Archbishop of Canterbury turned up at a motorbike show in Braishfield, near Winchester, during a three-day visit to the diocese. The Custom and Classic Bike Show was organised by the vicar, Tom Benson, who is himself a biker. Justin Welby told the Hampshire Chronicle: “I am gripped with fascination. I don’t know anything about motorbikes, and I just think it is unbelievably interesting and really fun.” Organisers believe the visit put the bike show on the map. The vicar said it had drawn people focused on bikes and the church in the same space and that was “a really good thing.” Hampshire Chronicle story here
Diwali celebrated across the globe
Diwali the festival of lights was celebrated across the globe yesterday, from a reception at the White House, to the fireworks and funfair in Leicester, which hosts the biggest Diwali celebration outside India. The season celebrates the fight for good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and light over darkness. Messages of support and good wishes came from political and faith leaders and Number Ten once more held a reception with tea lights decorating the steps.
