Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Iran have agreed to a “complete and total ceasefire”, phased in over the next 24 hours, which will bring an official end to the “12 day war”. Reuters reports that Iran has confirmed it has agreed to this. At time of writing, there is no official confirmation from Israel.
Chief Rabbi ‘evacuated out of Israel on RAF plane’
The Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, and the former Labour MP, Dame Louise Ellman, were among 63 British nationals evacuated from Israel yesterday, according to Jewish News. It reported that they were brought out on an RAF jet on Monday, having been told about the flight that morning. The report says that Dame Louise “had been staying with a friend in Jerusalem, spending most nights in shelters as Iranian missile strikes took place”. The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, told the Commons that the RAF had taken a group of British nationals to Cyprus for ongoing flights back to the UK. Jewish News story here
Archbishop of Wales apologises for errors of judgement in Bangor Cathedral scandal
The Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, has issued an apology for “errors of judgement” he made in regard to events at Bangor Cathedral, where excessive drinking, blurred lines of sexual boundaries and lack of financial controls were revealed in two reports. He faced calls to resign after the reports were published. In a statement issued yesterday by the Church in Wales, he said the reports “reveal shortcomings and poor organisational practice which should not have occurred. I deeply regret that they happened under my episcopate and I recognise I ought to have done more to ensure such failings did not occur. I also take full responsibility that I did not address these matters quickly enough”. He recognised damage done to the church and offered “no excuses or justifications”. The reports led to the setting up of an Implementation Group and an Oversight Board, whose chair, Professor Medwin Hughes, also issued a statement saying it had been “a particularly testing time for all those who have been involved in the cathedral and the diocese” and he was seeking to ensure that the issues were resolved swiftly and thoroughly.
MPs and church leaders gather for 2025 National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast
Church leaders, MPs and faith-based charities will gather in Westminster Hall at 7.30 this morning for the 2025 National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast, themed “God in the Public Square?”. The main speaker is John Lennox, emeritus professor of mathematics at Oxford University, and best known for his work defending Christianity, especially in relation to science. The annual event is organised by the APPG on Christians in Parliament and is sponsored by the Bible Society. It will be livestreamed for wider participation and the breakfast will be followed by a programme of seminars exploring the role of Christianity in public life, Christian persecution, and the role of the church in promoting peace.
Pope Leo warns of AI’s impact on young people
Pope Leo XIV has sounded a warning about the impact of Artificial Intelligence on children and young people. In a speech to the Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence, he said he was concerned at the possible consequences of the use of AI on young people’s intellectual and neurological development. He described AI as an “exceptional product of human genius” enhancing research in healthcare and scientific discovery. But it also raised “troubling questions on its possible repercussions on humanity’s openness to truth and beauty, on our distinctive ability to grasp and process reality”. Reflecting on the Pope’s words, the Catholic Herald published a comment from the writer John Mac Ghlionn, who warned: “The Pope’s warning was brief, yet it resonated with urgency. This isn’t about screen time. It’s about the systematic dismantling of human capacity, the slow, silent erasure of our ability to think, feel, wonder and create. We cannot outsource resistance. It has to be built. Parents, teachers, mentors, we need to carve out firebreaks now”.
Islamic New Year this week
The Islamic New Year is celebrated this Thursday – the Hijri year 1447AH (Anno Hegirae — the year of the Hijra). The Islamic calendar, or the Hijri calendar, starts from the time of Hijrah, the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622. The Islamic New Year is ushered in by the observation of the crescent moon (Hilal), but astronomical calculations are also used in many countries. The year is slightly shorter, 354 or 355 days, which explains why it aligns slightly differently with the Gregorian calendar every year. The first day of the month of Muharram is more of a reflective and introspective occasion, in contrast to fireworks and drink-laden parties. Read Maira Butt’s factsheet here
The story of the first lesbian marriage in a church near York Minster
The story of Holy Trinity on Goodramgate, a 12th century church near York Minster, which is regarded as the birthplace of lesbian marriage, is told by BBC news. It’s the church where businesswoman Anne Lister married her partner, heiress Ann Walker, on Easter Sunday in 1834. The report explains that although same-sex marriage was not legal at the time, the couple took the sacrament together at Holy Communion and considered themselves married. Later they exchanged rings and made provisions to each other in their wills. Helena Whitbread, a historian and the editor and decoder of Lister’s secret diaries, said Anne Lister had three criteria for becoming married – exchanging rings, declaring their love, and taking a vow before the altar. The story is here
Sixteen statues restored to Notre Dame
Giant statues of the twelve disciples, together with four evangelists in the early church, are being restored to the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral. They were blessed by the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, and will be hoisted back into position gradually. Fortunately, they were removed for restoration before the fire of 2019. The statues are made of copper sheets on steel and had turned green over the years, but they are now restored to their original chocolate brown colour. This is the latest chapter in the £600 million restoration of Notre Dame, which re-opened to the public last December. Guardian story here
Summer solstice events bring out thousands across Europe
Summer solstice celebrations have been held over the past three days with ceremonies at sunrise on Saturday followed by celebrations with dance, fire and music. An estimated 25,000 people including Druids and Wiccans, went to Stonehenge to see the sun rise, followed by festivals at nearby campsites. Spiritual workshops, meditations and healing practices took place inside the circle. Over the following days, there have been festivals across Europe, including a day long festival over 24 hours of daylight in Greenland, and a three day festival in Lithuania where the celebrations end today.
