Trump says “God is on my side” after assassination attempt
Donald Trump told the Republican National Convention that he stood before them “only by the grace of almighty God”, following the assassination attempt at last weekend’s rally in Pennsylvania. He described in detail what happened as he turned his head and felt a bullet hit his ear, saying it missed killing him by quarter of an inch. The fact that he turned and he wasn’t killed was a providential moment, he said. He felt safe because “God was on my side”. Accepting the Republican nomination, he told supporters that he was standing to be a president for all Americans, whatever race or religion: “The discord and division in our society must be healed”. Later in his 90 minute speech, he spoke of the US being a dumping ground for illegal immigrants and called out President Biden and the Democrats for incompetent leadership and policies on tax, crime and international affairs, but CNN reports that his claims are disputed when fact checked.
Religious pluralism at Republican convention against backdrop of Christian imagery
God has been a theme throughout this Convention. Jack Jenkins, of the Religion News Service, writes of the different religious traditions on display. There were multiple prayers by Christians including Archbishop Elpidophoros, a Greek Orthodox bishop, and Catholic Archbishop Jerome Listecki. In addition Connecticut businesswoman and former US Senate candidate Leora Levy’s prayer used Jewish references when remembering Corey Comperatore, who was killed during the assassination attempt, saying: “May his memory always be a blessing.” And Harmeet Kaur Dhillon, a National Committeewoman of the Republican National Committee for California, led the assembly in a Sikh prayer. Behind them both was a screen with images of Christian crosses, churches and American flags. The inclusion of other faiths was criticised by Republican supporters on Twitter / X with one saying the Sikh was a pagan blasphemer and another describing it as “Coexist blandness”.
JD Vance shows the “future of Christianity is conservative”
The conservative Catholicism adopted by Trump’s choice of vice president running mate, J D Vance, is a glimpse of the future of Christianity in the West, according to Times columnist James Marriott. He argues that growing conservative congregations, evangelical and Catholic, are attracted by counter cultural morals, values and practices, which offer a secure identity. He references an article by J D Vance for “The Lamp”, published four years ago, entitled How I Joined the Resistance, where he describes his progression to becoming a Catholic in 2019, saying it became clear to him that ambitious career goals did not lead to happiness, but must be replaced by a desire for family and community and a willingness to follow Jesus’ example and to nurture a spiritual life.
Leicester police inquiry into “undue spiritual influence” during election campaign
The Telegraph reports that Leicester police are investigating whether imams used “undue spiritual influence” urging people to vote in certain ways during the election campaign, upholding the faith and supporting Palestine. Leicester police have only commented that “a report alleging undue influence on the general election was received on July 3. Enquiries are ongoing to establish if any criminal offences have occurred. We cannot comment further at this time”.
Call for senior politician to combat Islamophobia in Europe
Hyphen Online considers attempts by the EU to counter rising “deep structural Islamophobia” in Europe following the war in the middle east. Shada Islam, a Brussels-based EU analyst and commentator, says European governments “still view European Muslims through a security lens as foreigners, not as citizens”. Islamophobia persists, she says, despite the fact that Muslims are well integrated and overwhelmingly support democratic European values, but “Politicians rarely mention the significant contribution of the Muslim community to the EU’s economic, cultural and — increasingly — political life”. She charts the threat from the far right especially in France and the Netherlands and says Muslims are leaving Europe due to fears for their security. What Europe’s Muslims really need, she says, “is a senior, political figure with a strong platform to call out the bloc’s systemic racism”.
Chief Rabbi supports Holocaust Memorial centre bill
The Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, has welcomed the government’s inclusion of a bill to build a Holocaust Memorial Centre next to the Houses of Parliament, on Victoria Gardens. The proposal has been contested due to its design and location, but a bill has been announced in the King’s Speech to circumvent planning rules that have prevented it going through in the past. Sir Ephraim said: “This recommitment by our new Government to creating a permanent Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, on a most suitable site, sends a timely message, not only about our national undertaking to remembering this dark period of our history but, more importantly, about the kind of future we want to create together.”
High Court hearing closes over €350 million Vatican property deal
The High Court civil case regarding the Vatican’s €350 million purchase of a former Harrod’s depository in Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, has closed after four weeks, with lawyers for both parties submitting closing statements. The Italian businessman, Raffaele Mincione, had gone to court to prove that he acted in good faith in his dealings with the Vatican’s secretariat of state, over its acquisition of the building and denied being part of a conspiracy to defraud the Vatican by inflating its value. He was among ten people convicted of offences in connection with the sale, by a Vatican court in December. It’s believed to be the first time that the Holy See has been forced to stand trial in a foreign court. Judgment is expected in the autumn.
Methodist chapel saved by shifting worship to Saturday
A Methodist chapel in Southfield near Burnley has launched Saturday services plus shared meals, to attract a new congregation, after Sunday worship numbers declined post Covid. They faced debt, limited funds and a declining congregation, but the local community wanted the chapel to continue, so the members launched new initiatives. They decided that the most important thing was being part of a community, so they changed the worship time to Saturday, attracting 25 people to the new time. They cleared the debt by raising funds through afternoon tea and heritage guided tours. And they are hoping to attract new families and young people in the future. One church member named Corrie told the Methodist news service: “People do feel passionate about the chapel and the area. When we put it out there that we thought Southfield was going to close, many people told us ‘that can’t happen.'”
