Coronation ceremony retains traditional Anglican wording and promises
King Charles’ coronation will be held on Saturday 6 May 2023, in a religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. The ceremony is expected to include elements of the traditional service, but will be shorter and on a smaller scale, and is widely expected to be more inclusive of multi-faith Britain. The service will include the King being anointed with holy oil, receiving the orb, coronation ring and sceptre, being crowned with St Edward’s Crown and blessed. He will take an oath to “maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine worship, discipline, and government thereof, as the law established in England”. Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the King will be crowned alongside the Queen Consort, Camilla.
Bishop criticises government’s growth plan for not addressing urgent need
The Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, has criticised the government’s reliance on trickle down economics, where wealth moves from the rich to the poor. In a debate in the Lords on Monday, he said the policy does not address urgent needs: “These people cannot wait for the benefits of an economic policy to trickle down”. Bishop Libby Lane told the Lords that the growth plan should prioritise those at the margins of society especially vulnerable children. The Conservative peer Lord Lilley said trickle-down economics was a fantasy of the bishop’s imagination. Church Times full report here >>
Muslim communities at the margins should create global connections
A report on Muslim communities living as minority groups at the margins of secular society, says they should use their soft power to revitalise Islamic civilization as a globally connected network. Author Yahya Birt, says minority groups have been overshadowed by interstate rivalries in the Muslim majority world that sees these minorities as either national assets or liabilities. Ummah at the Margins, commissioned by the Ayaan institute, says London has been a haven for Muslim migrants and political exiles. The report has identified four strengths of British Islam: creative and online media sectors; strong charity sector; London Islamic financial hub; and a source of business ties and remittances through networking opportunities.
CofE panel to review whether confessional remains secret
Church of England bishops have commissioned further work on the “Seal of the Confessional”, when a priest hears a confession and vows to keep the information private. There has been discussion on whether this should apply if someone confesses to sex abuse against a child, for example, and the new working group will consider the matter again in the light of the final report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, due to be published on 20 October. The panel considering the matter includes theologians, church leaders, safeguarding professionals, advisers and survivors.
Child sex abuse in Portuguese church exceeds 400 cases
Reuters reports that a commission investigating child sex abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church has gathered more than 400 testimonies of alleged victims but admitted the number of actual cases was “much higher”. The commission started its work in January after a report in France revealed around 3,000 priests and religious officials sexually abused over 200,000 children over the past 70 years. The Portuguese Catholic Church has been rocked in recent weeks by various cases of alleged cover-up of sexual abuse, with a commission member saying “Concealment is inherent in sexual abuse cases”. Reuters report here >>
Christian Resources exhibition postponed due to Eurovision
The Christian Resources Exhibition, booked for Liverpool on 3 and 4 May, has had to be cancelled because the Eurovision Song Contest is taking place in the city around that date. Managing director Steve Goddard told Premier Christian news said everything will have to change and hopefully the exhibition will take place in 2024 instead.
Ancient pagan religion not recognised by Lithuanian government
The Wildhunt website, reporting news of pagans and heathens worldwide, says the Lithuanian parliament has rejected state recognition of Romuva, the indigenous traditional Baltic Pagan religion of the nation. It would have given the Romuva legal rights such as being able to receive tax credits for real property, function as a charity, provide social insurance coverage for its clergy, and gain legal recognition of marriages performed by its clergy. This was the second rebuff. On the earlier occasion, the European Court of Human Rights said Lithuania had violated the Romuva’s human rights by not recognising the religion.
