Religious buildings destroyed and communities ripped apart by fire in Los Angeles
Buildings belonging to religious organisations have gone up in the flames of Los Angeles. The Pasadena Jewish Centre and Temple burned for hours and was destroyed, but volunteers gathered to save the Torah scrolls. The fate of a Chabad centre about 40 miles away near the coast survived, described as a miracle. Corpus Christi Catholic Church in the suburb of Pacific Palisade has been destroyed and 65 Catholic schools have closed. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and School have gone, rectories have burned to the ground and St Matthew’s school has also been destroyed, with doubts over the safety of the associated church. The Episcopalian News Service reports evacuations, community helpers rallying round and shock
Tributes to President Carter, whose life was ‘a testament to the goodness of God’
The funeral of Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States, paid tribute to a man for whom the Christian faith was the key motivator in life. Multiple eulogies recognised his commitment to help the poor throughout the world, providing hope to combat disease, brokering peace through diplomacy, while being deeply committed to his church, its Sunday school, the small town community of Plains in Georgia, and to his ever growing family. His grandson, lawyer Jason Carter, gave a memorable eulogy: “From the moment that he woke up until he laid his head, his life was a testament to the goodness of God”. He said his grandfather was not just ahead of his time, but prophetic. President Biden, in his tribute, said: “Today many think he was from a bygone era, but in reality he saw well into the future. A white Southern Baptist who led civil rights. A decorated Navy veteran who brokered peace. A brilliant nuclear engineer who led on nuclear non-proliferation. A hardworking farmer. who championed conservation and clean energy”. President Carter was laid to rest at his family farm, next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn.
US Congress continues to have more Christian presence than general population
The vast majority of the newly convened US Congress is Christian, with 461 out of 523 members, representing 87 per cent of the total. This is one per cent fewer than the last Congress and five per cent fewer than ten years ago. Pew Research Centre says this is a slow decline, but is still a far higher proportion than is found in the US population, where only 62 per cent are Christian. Only three members said they were non-religious, representing less than one per cent, but in the general population 28 per cent are religiously unaffiliated. The research found that the majority of Christians in Congress are Protestant, and 14 per cent of the these are Baptists.
The Christian charismatics hoping to destroy the secular state
The American magazine “The Atlantic” reports on the rise of the charismatic Christian movement “The New Apostolic Reformation”, which it says seeks to destroy the secular state and “has become startlingly visible with the rise of Trumpism”. Reporter Stephanie McCrummen quotes a university survey which suggests that 40 per cent of American Christians, including Catholics, have been drawn in. She explains that the movement includes “the belief that God speaks through modern-day apostles and prophets. That demonic forces can control not only individuals, but entire territories and institutions. That the Church is not so much a place as an active “army of God,” one with a holy mission to claim the Earth for the Kingdom as humanity barrels ever deeper into the End Times”. Read more here
Founder of Sikh Youth UK jailed for theft
Rajbinder Kaur, a 55-year-old former banker who set up Sikh Youth UK in 2016 to support young people, has been jailed for stealing nearly £50,000 from the organisation. Birmingham Crown Court heard that she used the funds to pay off personal debts and expenses. She was found guilty of six counts of theft, one count of money laundering and another offence of supplying false information to The Charity Commission and was sentenced to two years and eight months. Her brother Singh Lehal, with whom she set up the organisation, was found guilty of lying to the Charity Commission and was given a sentence of four months suspended for 18 months. During their sentencing, a demonstration was staged outside the court with protesters saying the case was a witch hunt. Birmingham Live report here
Lambeth Palace based Community of St Anselm considers its future
The Community of St Anselm, a religious community based at Lambeth Palace where members pray and worship but serve outside in society, is said to be considering its future, according to the Church Times. The community was started in 2015 as an initiative pioneered by Justin Welby, but no new people were taken on last September while the future is considered. A spokesperson for Lambeth Palace said the discussion on its future was not to do with his recent resignation. Some community members issued a statement this week saying Dr Welby’s “willingness to take personal responsibility for institutional failings . . . reflect the courage, and integrity, that are desperately needed for the Church to become a place of true justice and compassion”.
Pope calls for ‘diplomacy of hope’ – but has to stop speech because of illness
Pope Francis, aged 88, had to stop delivering his annual foreign policy speech a few sentences in, as a cold made it difficult for him to speak. He passed it to an aide to deliver instead. The Associated Press said he sounded congested and admitted he was suffering from a cold. In recent winters, he has suffered bronchitis that leaves him out of breath and makes it difficult to speak at length. In his address, he called for a “diplomacy of hope” based on truth, forgiveness, freedom, and justice. Noting that the world is “torn by numerous conflicts, acts of terror, societal tensions, and the creation of new barriers that divide people”, he asked everyone to set aside a “logic of confrontation” and embrace a “logic of encounter, so that the future does not find us hopelessly adrift, but pressing forward as pilgrims of hope, individuals and communities on the move, committed to building a future of peace.”
New Church opened at site of Jesus’ baptism
A new “Church of the Baptism of the Lord”, shrine and monasteries at the baptism site of Jesus will be officially inaugurated today in an area near the river Jordan five miles north of the Dead Sea. The development will be one of the largest Christian centres in the Middle East , comparable to the Church of the Annunciation, the Church of the Nativity, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is in an archaeological site with Roman and Byzantine remains, ancient churches, small temples, monasteries, caves once inhabited by hermits, and sacred baptismal pools. The construction of the Catholic church and monastery was made possible by many donations, including from the Hungarian government. The church can seat 1,000 people and will host the annual pilgrimage to Al-Maghtas, every January. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, and Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzabella, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, will preside over a special Mass today for the dedication of the Altar and the inauguration of the church. The relics of Pope John Paul II and the Holy Martyrs of Damascus, among others, will be placed inside the Altar. This church has been designated as a pilgrimage destination during the Jubilee of Hope 2025.
French bishop who supported traditional Latin mass, resigns
The Bishop of the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon in southern France, Dominique Rey, has resigned at the request of Pope Francis. The Catholic Herald reports that Rey is a member of the charismatic Emmanuel Community but is also known for celebrating the Tridentine Mass and has welcomed a large number of new communities, some of which celebrated exclusively the Traditional Latin Mass. He was credited with fostering a significant number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life, but criticised for taking in seminarians and priests rejected by other dioceses. In June 2022, annual priestly ordinations were suspended in a move initiated by The Vatican. The Pope appointed Bishop François Touvet, former bishop of Châlons in northern France, as a coadjutor bishop in charge of religious communities and the training of priests and seminarians and he will now take over as diocesan bishop.
Two religious sisters working as teachers abducted in Nigeria
Aid to the Church in Need says two religious Sisters and schoolteachers were abducted on Tuesday this week in Anambra State, south-east Nigeria. Sister Vincentia María, the principal of Archbishop Charles Heerey Memorial Model Secondary School, Ufuma, and Sister Grace Mariette, a teacher at Immaculata Girls Model Secondary School, Nnewi, were seized on the Ufuma road after attending a meeting. It is believed they were kidnapped by criminal gangs seeking to claim ransom money. ACN says 11 priests were abducted in Nigeria last year and another priest was killed.
Advert for ethical Muslim investment banned as likely to cause offence
The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a campaign by Wahed Invest Ltd, an online investment company, urging people to invest in them because the US economy is going up in flames. The posters, displayed on the London Underground, were designed to attract Muslims and pictured a Muslim man surrounded by burning dollar bills and euro notes. The ASA said it had received complaints and ruled it was likely to cause offence. Wahed said that its platform allowed consumers who were predominantly Muslim to invest in an ethical manner to their faith precepts, which forbid charging interest on loans. It added that the burning bank notes illustrated inflation cancelling out savings and the viewers of the ads, not just Muslims, would have understood that.
