Cardinal Vincent Nichols in no doubt who is the aggressor in the war in Ukraine
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has distanced himself from the Vatican’s refusal to criticise the head of the Russian Orthodox Church for supporting Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. While the Pope has repeatedly spoken out about the war, he has not publicly condemned Russian President Vladmir Putin or indeed Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Speaking at the fourth annual Religion Media Festival held at the JW3 Centre in north London, the Archbishop of Westminster said: “We’ve seen a certain caution from the Holy See in not outrightly condemning Russia.” In a recorded interview with journalist and broadcaster Roger Bolton, the festival’s keynote speaker said: “I don’t think there’s any doubt at all about who is the aggressor.” Full story by Lianne Kolirin here
(Further festival reports will appear on our website and YouTube channel in the next few weeks)
Former prime minister John Major urges church to speak out against inequality
The former prime minister, John Major, has urged cathedrals and churches to be the voice of the poor, the oppressed, the weak and the voiceless, and speak out against the glaring inequalities. In a speech to the National Cathedrals Conference in Newcastle, he argues that the Government should rethink its policy on Rwanda, that there should be a public inquiry into its handling of the Covid crisis within the life of this current parliament, and that more was needed to be done to ensure a levelling up on the serious inequalities in the UK. NCC report here
Vatican accuses Israel of violating agreement after violence at journalist’s funeral
The Vatican’s representative in Jerusalem, Monsignor Tomasz Grysa, has accused Israel of “brutally violating” an agreement to uphold religious freedom, following theattack by Israeli police on the funeral of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqla. Officers kicked and beat pallbearers forcing the coffin to almost fall to the ground. BBC report here. The UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has strongly condemned the killing of the journalist and called for a thorough, transparent, fair and impartial investigation.
Extreme concern for the safety of Cardinal Zen in Hong Kong
The Guardian reports that the Hong Kong Catholic Social Communications Office said it was “extremely concerned” over the safety of Cardinal Joseph Zen, who was arrested for alleged “collusion with foreign forces” and is due in court on 24 May. It follows his work as a trustee with the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which provided legal and financial assistance to people in the 2019 pro-democracy protests. The Guardian says that people are afraid to speak out in case the protest makes his situation worse.
Proposal to relocate “flying bishop” role from the south east to the midlands
The Church Times reports that the position of Bishop of Oswestry may be revived to oversee traditionalist churches opposed to women priests and bishops. The role would replace the Bishop of Ebbsfleet’s position, after he resigned to become a Roman Catholic. The report says the new role would be rooted in a diocese and serve churches in the midlands and south west England
