British rabbis demand immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza
Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner and Rabbi Warren Elf are launching a campaign by British rabbis to demand immediate humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza and the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas. The Jewish Chronicle reports that the campaign, called SOS “Sending Our Selfies” will involve rabbis sending photographs of themselves to Foreign Secretary David Lammy every Tuesday at 6pm until there is a change in the situation on the ground. In a statement, the rabbis condemn Israel’s blockade on aid entering Gaza and call for an end to starvation. In an interview with the BBC this week, Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UNRWA, said the people in Gaza have been without any aid for more than two months. He said: “Starvation is spreading, people are exhausted, people are hungry… we can expect that in the coming weeks if no aid is coming in, that people will not die because of the bombardment, but they will die because of the lack of food. This is the weaponisation of humanitarian aid.”
Scotland takes a step closer to allowing assisted dying
The Scottish Parliament has voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying. The is the third attempt to change the law, and the bill, proposed by Scottish LibDem MSP Liam McArthur, McArthur, passed the first stage by 70 to 56 votes. It says two doctors must independently certify someone is both terminally ill and has the mental capacity to request an assisted death, and the patient must administer the medication themselves. It will apply to people who have lived in Scotland for at least 12 months and are registered with a GP there. The same arguments for and against have been heard there as in the assisted dying debate before the Commons for England and Wales. Those voting against included First Minister John Swinney, former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and deputy first minister Kate Forbes. The bill has two more stages to go through before a final vote to become law. The Church of Scotland says its historic position has been to oppose assisted dying and euthanasia. “This position is under review; we have been studying the ethical, spiritual, theological and practical issues related to assisted dying for the past two years, and our final report is due to be discussed at the General Assembly on Monday 19 May”.
Muslims ‘three times as likely to oppose assisted dying as non-Muslims’
A poll by Hyphen Online suggests that 43 per cent of Muslims and 19 per cent of Christians in England and Wales are against the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which is going through Parliament at the moment. Among this number, 70 per cent of Muslims gave religious belief as one reason for their stance, higher than the 41 per cent of Christians and 26 per cent of followers of other religions who said the same. Meanwhile 34 per cent of Muslims said they backed the bill. Hyphen’s poll surveyed 4,523 adults in England and Wales, including 1,366 Muslims. Report is here
Members of commission to select next Archbishop of Canterbury are named
The Church of England has announced members of the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission which will select the next Archbishop of Canterbury. It has 17 voting members named as: Chair: Lord (Jonathan) Evans of Weardale; The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell; the Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher; five members of the global Anglican communion – a Palestinian archbishop, a Maori priest, an Argentinian engineer and a Ghanaian economics professor; Synod members Christina Baron, Debbie Buggs, Clive Scowen, Canon Paul Cartwright, Rev Lis Goddard, Canon Claire Lording; and three representatives from the Canterbury diocese yet to be confirmed. Press release here. Analysis in the Church Times here.
Government urged to extend and uplift grant scheme for church building repairs
Marsha de Cordova, MP, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, has urged the government to make permanent the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme, which has been extended for just one year, and to lift the cap on grant claims imposed due to financial constraints. In a parliamentary debate, she told MPs that the uncertainty over the scheme’s future is making it difficult for churches to plan ahead, and the £25,000 cap is impacting an estimated 260 church buildings, including cathedrals, where repairs are underway or about to start. She proposed a new capital funding scheme for listed places of worship of all faiths and denominations. She was backed by John Glen MP who said church buildings provide an enormous contribution to community life. In reply, Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government Minister Jim McMahon said : “Any matter of future funding members will appreciate is a matter for the Spending Review”, which is due in June. Report here
Shrine of Fatima procession heralds centenary year
270,000 pilgrims have taken part in a candlelight procession to the Shrine of Fatima in Portugal for the 13 May celebrations, marking the anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in 1917. Later, in 1925, another apparition of the Virgin Mary with the Christ child, was reported by Sister Lucia, at the Dorothean convent in Pontevedra, Spain, when Mary requested the institution of the “Five First Saturdays Devotion”. To mark the centenary year of his event, the World Apostolate of Fatima in England and Wales is arranging for the two national statues of Our Lady of Fatima and the relics of Saints Jacinta and Francisco to visit Catholic cathedrals between May 2025 and October 2026. Timetable here.
Pope Leo visits his Augustinian base near the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and had lunch with members of his Augustinian religious order at their headquarters in Rome yesterday, where he had spent 12 years as the order’s Prior General from 2001 – 2013. Leo is the first Augustinian to be made Pope and is expected to emphasise their key emphasis on missionary outreach, contemplative spirituality, communal living, service to others, listening and dialogue. AP quotes the Rev. Gabriele Pedicino, head of the Augustinians’ Italian branch, saying: “The atmosphere was of great fraternity. You really always have to practice and remember that he is now the pope, because he puts you at ease and has this closeness that always impresses me.”
Christian messages and comedy gold as Pope Leo goes online
Pope Leo XIV has chosen “to maintain an active social media presence through the official papal accounts on X and Instagram” according to the Vatican. His first post on Instagram, where his account is simply “pontifex”, includes an excerpt from his first public address at the Urbi et Orbi just after his election on 8 May, with a blessing of peace to all people. On Twitter / X, his account is @pontifex, the papal account which has 52 million followers across nine languages. Past tweets from the late Pope Francis are archived here. The Guardian reports that social media has “had a field day” since Pope Leo was appointed, with memes going viral. Reporter Tayo Bero has watched them all and said “ I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun in the hellish digital town square formerly known as Twitter”. Time reports that parody accounts on the film Conclave morphed into “Pope Crave”, following the twists and turns of the past three weeks. And Catherine Pepinster predicts more entertainment from Pope Leo’s brothers, who’ve provided another one liner on American TV, on their younger brother showing off with his language skills: “I’ve a feeling the Prevost brothers are going to be comedy gold in the next few years – rather like various US presidents’ relatives over the years. It’s great to see this human side of a pope”.
