Cardinal begs for an end to ‘morally unacceptable’ war in Gaza
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has once more begged for an end to the violence in Gaza, saying: “It is time to end this nonsense, end the war and put the common good of people as the top priority.” He was speaking in Jerusalem soon after his visit to the Holy Catholic Family Church, which was attacked by Israeli forces last week with the loss of three lives. He was accompanied on the visit by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III. In a statement, the Cardinal said seeing men holding out in the sun for hours in the hope of a simple meal “is a humiliation that is hard to bear when you see it with your own eyes. It is morally unacceptable and unjustifiable”. He described the scenes of devastation, walking past ruins and tents on roads, beaches, alleyways, for families who have lost everything: “ Children talked and played without batting an eyelid, they were already used to the noise of the bombing.” He appealed to the international community to respect the obligation to protect civilians, to prohibit collective punishment, end the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population. He said: “Humanitarian aid is not only necessary, it is a matter of life and death”. Speech is here
Islamic Relief says one person killed every 12 minutes in Gaza
The aid agency Islamic Relief, which has worked in Gaza for 30 years, and is now delivering aid to 600,000 people there, says its analysis of the data shows “an average of 119 Palestinians are being killed daily so far in July – the highest rate since January 2024”. It says the killings have accelerated since the new food distribution scheme was introduced by Israel in late June. Waseem Ahmad, Chief Executive of Islamic Relief Worldwide, said world leaders have a moral duty to take action as “the rate of killing is accelerating every day“. Yesterday, there were reports of Labour fury at the UK government’s failure to act, with strong statements against the war, including joint statements with allies, having no impact on the Israeli government.
Jesuit Refugee Service damning report on people in immigration detention
A report published by the Jesuit Refugee Service UK (JRS UK) says the system for detaining immigrants is “deeply broken”, failing to provide people with the legal advice they need to navigate the immigration and asylum processes. The report “Accessing legal advice in detention: becoming an impossibility” draws on survey data and casework analysis from Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre and interviews with people recently released. It says legal advisers are overstretched and cannot take on cases, many detained people never receive initial consultation and their legal representation is sometimes refused, poor quality or declined. This leads to long periods in detention causing mental health issues. David Ryall, Director of JRS UK, said detainees are being denied justice: “This is a profound moral failure. It is the result of deep-rooted systemic issues with the functioning of legal aid for asylum and immigration cases, combined with structural problems in immigration detention itself. Urgent action is needed.” Report is here
Church of England newspaper ceases publication – for now
The Church of England newspaper, which has reported on the church from an evangelical perspective since the 1950’s, says there will be no further published editions of the CEN until further notice, while the organisation secures its financial future. In a statement issued yesterday, its editor Andrew Carey, said “the Church of England Newspaper has had to review its operations following the passing of Keith Young, owner and director of Political and Religious Intelligence Ltd. Keith was generously the sole provider of additional finance to continue supporting the paper and we are now exploring all options to secure a future and hope that you will bear with us as we seek an orderly transition to serve our readers and subscribers, our advertisers and all other partners”. Mr Carey says that the CEN has “made a considerable contribution to building up the evangelical institutions of the C of E and supporting an open evangelicalism which up until today, I hope, remains thoughtful, orthodox, resourceful and generous. This is needed more than ever today”.
Anglicans ‘disproportionately stable’ support for Conservative party
An academic from Exeter University has suggested that staunch Anglican support for the Tory party is acting as “buffer” against increasing political volatility. The study, by Dr Ekaterina Kolpinskaya, published in the journal Parliamentary Affairs is based on an analysis of data from the university’s 2009–22 UK Household Longitudinal Study survey. She found almost 9 out of 10 Anglicans who took part in the UKHLS survey said they have not moved from either feeling close to the Conservative Party or intending to vote for it in the 13-year period, despite Brexit, Covid and Truss. She suggests that Anglicans are disproportionately stable in their affective and electoral support for the Tories and appear to be a “pocket of resistance” to the changes in political partisanship seen in recent years. Among Tory voters, Anglicans were outnumbered by those not affiliated to any religion, but their presence among the Conservative supporters is five numbers greater than the nearest religious group—Roman Catholics at 6.5 per cent to 7.1 per cent of the Tory supporters. Dr Kolpinskaya said: “It shows it is wrong to ignore religion as a predictor of core party support in modern Great Britain”. More here
Trump administration quotes Isaiah to defend ICE immigration raids
A video posted by the US Department of Homeland Security and shared by official accounts of the Trump administration has sparked outrage for promoting the message that the anti-immigration measures including raids and deportations, is a godly mission. The video shows ICE border guards seeking immigrants, using a quote from Isaiah 6:8: – “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” – as their motivation for the task. An accompanying song “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” by the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, incensed the band who demanded it be taken down – so far is it still up. An article in Religion Despatches says: “For a government agency .. to openly post Christian nationalist propaganda is truly breathtaking, if not unexpected”.
“US “missionary” revealed as Russian spy living in Ukraine
A Christian missionary from New York, Daniel Martindale, has been accused of spying for Russia while living in eastern Ukraine, according to a report in The Times. The Kremlin claims he supplied military intelligence for two years that helped Russian forces strike Ukrainian positions and capture territory, including the towns of Kurakhove and Bohoiavlenka. Martindale, who was based near the front line in the Donetsk region, is said to have volunteered his services via Telegram. After his identity was uncovered, Russian special forces reportedly evacuated him. He has since been granted Russian citizenship, and his ceremony was broadcast by Russian state TV. Martindale told Russian media he plans to return to Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine to become a farmer.
Influencer priests preaching the gospel with poems, pets and wine on social media
The Guardian looks ahead to a meeting next week of 1,000 Catholic priests and friars from all over the world, who have emerged as social media influencers, preaching the gospel on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms. The meeting is part of the Year of Jubilee and was set up by Pope Francis to encourage digital evangelism. Among the gathering will be Father Cosimo Schena, priest of San Francesco church in southern Italy and known as the “poet of God’s love” for his spiritual poems, as well as a dog lover for describing how a dog’s comfort can bring healing – messages delivered to his 450,000 Instagram followers. Others include tattooed priest-bodybuilder Father Giuseppe Fusari from northern Italy, YouTube gospel reader Stefano Maria Bordignon, a friar known online as FraStefano, who reads and comments on the gospel, and Father Ambrogio Mazzai, a priest who preaches while showing photos of himself playing the guitar or holding a glass of wine. He reflected this was all about concise communications, not great long sermons.
TikToker apologises for eating chicken in an ISKCON restaurant as a prank
The social media influencer “Cenzoo”, who outraged Hindus by posting a video of himself walking into ISKCON’s Govinda restaurant in Soho and eating KFC fried chicken in front of horrified staff, has sincerely apologised for his “offensive, ill-timed and irreponsible actions”. ISKCON is Hindu and prohibits meat eating. The restaurant manager has accepted the apology saying “We believe that everyone makes mistakes, and the true measure of growth is the willingness to reflect and take responsibility”.
Christian press headlines for golf open champion Scheffler
World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler, who won The Open Championship with a dominant 17-under finish, has hit the headlines in the Christian press for his comments in a press conference that faith and family are his priorities. He loved to play the game, “But does it fill the deepest wants and desires of my heart? Absolutely not”, he said. What mattered more was taking care of his wife: “Golf is third. I’ve said it for a long time. Golf is not how I identify myself”. Earlier he revealed that he has a devotional app on his iPad and a spiritual book accompanying him day by day. The Baptist Press revels in the story here
Bishop of Southwark’s face ‘smashed like cornflakes’ in car accident
The Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun, has told the BBC about the accident last autumn in which his face was smashed to such an extent that his doctor told him “Your face is cornflakes”. His taxi had stopped abruptly and every bone in his face apart from his lower jaw was broken. He was taken to a specialist maxillofacial trauma team at King’s College Hospital in Denmark Hill, south-east London, where Professor Kathy Fan led the team to reconstruct his face. He remembers that she told him: “When I do it, I don’t want people staring at you and thinking what’s different? I want them to listen to what you’re saying because you’re a bishop”. He is full of praise for the medical team and support from the church and said he had “an underlying feeling” that all would be well. Read the story here and view the BBC London TV report here
