Faith minister will ensure that faith is part of the national conversation
The faith minister, Lord Khan, met the deputy prime minister yesterday to discuss the government’s pledge to work in partnership with faith communities throughout the UK. At a meeting organised by Faith Action, Lord Khan said it was imperative to have a national dialogue between the government and faith groups, and he wanted to ensure that this was achieved quickly. He said: “It is my job to ensure that faith is part of the national conversation”. He was responding to a question on the closure of the Inter Faith Network, which collapsed when the last government removed funding. Lord Khan said he wanted to re-set the relationship between government and faith and belief groups, so that it became a partnership. In the past it had been transactional – faith groups only consulted when the government needed something. But he was determined to create an open door. He was speaking to an audience of faith representatives from across Britain, many of whom work on the front line of social need, forming links between the different religions at local level to roll out programmes for example on poverty, health and education. He was asked about the rules of engagement with faith groups, as the last government had no formal links with any Muslim organisation, accusing some of anti-British sympathies. Lord Khan said there is extremism, but it was important to deal in a fair, open and transparent manner and he was looking at the principles of government engagement. Faith Action is a national network of faith-based and community organisations serving communities. The meeting was called to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its “covenants” scheme, formal agreements to work together, between local councils and faith organisations. Executive Director Daniel Singleton said faith organisations had played a big role in Covid, offering buildings for vaccination centres for example. He said: “Faith is not just for a crisis. Faith is the first in and the last out, reaching parts of society that nothing else can”.
Change proposed after deadlock over CofE bishops’ appointments
Church of England bishops will meet in Oxford next week to vote on changes to the make-up of a committee which appoints bishops, after two recent cases where the committee was deadlocked, leaving dioceses without a leader for up to three years. Thinking Anglicans publishes the paper to be considered, which says there is a widely held view that the reason for the failure to appoint bishops in Carlisle and Ely, was down to national church politics. There are bitter divisions in the CofE over same sex relationships, with the beginnings of a breakaway movement, and this is said to have affected the votes. The paper suggests changes to the system: remove the secret ballot, change the threshold required for a nomination from two thirds to 60 per cent, give the presiding Archbishop an additional vote in the event of a deadlock and the mandated resignation of committee members voted on by the general synod, should they fail to make a nomination on three occasions during a five-year term.
BBC chair says there should be a review of its coverage of the war in Gaza
The BBC chairman, Samir Shah, has said there should be a “deep, systematic review” of the BBC’s coverage of Israel and the war with Hamas in Gaza. He told the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee that it was a complicated story with concern on both sides. The board had a duty to take time out and do an analysis of the coverage because the BBC plays such a big role in reporting on the Middle East conflict to the rest of the world. The Director General, Tim Davie, said: “Every accusation we’ve had on the BBC Arabic service we have looked at ….the issue is not everyone agrees with the outcome”. He said the BBC took complaints seriously, but also stood up for its journalists. The Board of Deputies of British Jews has previously raised “long-standing misgivings” with the BBC over the way complaints have been dealt with. Last weekend, an AI review by Trevor Asserson, a British lawyer who runs Israel’s largest international law firm, claimed the BBC had broken its own editorial guidelines more than 1500 times in its reporting of the Israel / Hamas conflict. The BBC said it had “serious questions” about the methodology of the report.
Global Christian groups in “organised attack on gender equality”
The Guardian reports on research which outlines the billons of pounds spent by conservative campaigners, including global Christian groups, on “well-funded attacks on gender equality”. The report Whose Hands on our Education, is by the Overseas Development Initiative, an independent global think tank. It pulls together academic studies and concludes there are interconnections and patterns in organised gender-restrictive activities especially in the Global South. It quotes one analysis showing at least $3.7bn (£2.8bn) was channelled to anti-gender equality organisations globally between 2013 and 2017. It suggests this is a highly organised, well financed global campaign, which started in the mid-1990s and includes the Vatican, conservative Catholic organisations, the US Evangelical Right and the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as some Muslim organisations. The report says the US religious right has inspired the movement, which seeks to influence education policy and curriculums, “removing sex education from schools, banning girls from learning, reinforcing patriarchal gender stereotypes in textbooks and rejecting gender-inclusive language in schools”. It recommends that international advocacy groups need political and financial support to defend globally agreed human rights frameworks.
Pope Francis in Singapore on last leg of south east Asia tour
Pope Francis is in Singapore, his last stop on a 12-day visit to south east Asia. He held a private meeting with Jesuits and will address civil authorities and members of the diplomatic corps today. The Catholic Herald suggests that issues such as inclusiveness, human dignity, interreligious dialogue, artificial intelligence and the environment will be discussed. The Pope is also expected to address issues affecting China, which has strong relations with Singapore and a tense relationship with the Catholic church, though the Vatican has undertaken initiatives to improve contact, especially over bishops’ appointments. A delegation from Hong Kong is expected to attend a public Mass at the SportsHub National Stadium, at the end of today. He returns to Rome tomorrow.
Collapse of court case for Hindu prayers on Brighton beach
A charge of harassment against a woman who offered Hindu prayers on a beach in Normans Bay, near Brighton, has been thrown out after the prosecution offered no evidence. The Times of India carries a report quoting Sheila Jacklin, a British designer of Indian heritage, saying she had been offering prayers on the beach for 22 years as there is no temple nearby, but neighbours complained. Ms Jacklin believes the charges were racist and Hinduphobic. Prosecutors applied for the case to be adjourned, but this was refused by magistrates. The prosecution then offered no evidence and the trial collapsed.
Angular, “eyesore” village church could be demolished for housing
An angular, concrete, grey Catholic church, in a village near Bath dating back to the 11th century, described as an eyesore and “the village joke”, could be demolished to make way for housing. The church of the Good Shepherd, in Batheaston, has been closed by Clifton diocese due to declining numbers attending mass, and now the local council has a planning application to demolish it and replace it with housing. But the plans have come in for criticism from local villagers, who object to the number of houses and lack of parking, and say the building should be turned into a community centre instead. The local paper, Somerset Live, points to its saving grace, a large angular stained glass window, made not of glass, but an aluminium and polycarbonate material called Kalwall. The consultation period is over and the decision will be considered by Bath and North East Somerset planning committee.
