Pope Francis makes first public greeting and blessing from hospital
Pope Francis has appeared in public for the first time since his hospitalisation for double pneumonia on 14 February. Seated in a wheelchair, he appeared at the balcony of Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, before leaving for home at the Vatican. With a rasping voice still recovering from his extensive treatment, he said faintly “Thank you to everyone”, gave his blessing and then a “thumbs up”. His greeting delighted the 3,000 people assembled in the square below, who applauded and cheered. Later he posted on Twitter / X: “You have continued to pray for me with so much patience and perseverance: thank you so much! I also pray for you. Let us #PrayTogether for #Peace, especially in martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo”.
Board of Deputies tells BBC to act on editorial demands by 12 April
The Board of Deputies has given the BBC a deadline of Passover, which starts on 12 April, to tackle concerns over its reporting on the Israel-Hamas war and the wellbeing of its Jewish staff. The Jewish Chronicle reports that the Board’s president, Phil Rosenberg, has met BBC Director General Tim Davie, with a list of demands saying the BBC needed to “grip the issue with a seriousness and urgency we have not yet seen”. The report says that the Board outlined seven areas for the BBC to act on including its reporting on Israel-Gaza since 7 October 2023, naming proscribed organisations including Hamas and Hezbollah, rapid response to editorial breaches and a “one-strike” policy for BBC staff found to have “egregiously breached its rules of impartiality and or antisemitism.” The full report is here
French president condemns antisemitic attack on Chief Rabbi of Orleans
The French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the “poison of antisemitism” after the chief rabbi of the city of Orleans, Rabbi Arié Engelberg, was attacked on Saturday evening while walking in the city centre with his young son. The suspect shouted antisemitic insults at the rabbi before physically attacking him. He was arrested shortly afterwards and detained in a psychiatric facility. The Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin also posted his response condemning the attack saying: “France cannot allow itself to become a stage for foreign tensions that fuel violence and antisemitism.”
Fifth anniversary of online church services since Covid
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has marked the fifth anniversary of online services provided by the Church of England, which began during the Covid lockdown in 2020. Welcoming the congregation to the regular 9am Sunday morning broadcast, he said the services had connected a Christian community and an online community with far reaching influence. The service featured some of the standout features including a vicar leading the confession from a lifeboat in Cornwall and hymns from locations such as Holy Island. The CofE says that since Covid, the service has become important to people unable to attend church due to illness, remote living, or other circumstances. During the pandemic, 71 per cent of churches went online, but now that figure is 30 per cent. 33,540 online services have been provided by local churches in five years.
Primary school scraps Easter service to “respect diverse religious beliefs”
Norwood Primary School in Eastleigh, Hampshire, has scrapped the Easter Bonnet Parade and Easter Service in order to “respect diverse religious beliefs”. A letter from the headteacher was posted on Facebook, saying: “By not holding specific religious celebrations, we aim to create a more inclusive atmosphere that honours and respects the beliefs of all our children and their families.” She added that the school planned to celebrate Refugee Week in June. The decision has caused considerable protest on social media, with the local MP Suella Braverman saying: “‘Refugee Week’ is more important than Easter because of ‘respect for diverse beliefs’. This isn’t inclusivity; it’s cultural surrender. Britain’s Christian roots are being erased by spineless leaders who’d rather appease than preserve. Where’s the respect for our country’s heritage? Shameful.”
Chinese Bible sold for £56,280
A Chinese Bible donated to a charity shop in Chelmsford, has sold at auction for more than £56,000. The BBC reports that shop manager Nick Reeves said volunteers secured it from a pile of donated books and were “absolutely speechless” at the sale price, thinking it was only worth a few hundred pounds. Dr Lorenza Gay, a specialist at Bonhams, said the Bible, which dates from 1815, stood out among the lots due to being “exceptionally rare”.
Samaritan’s Purse gets $19million back in U-turn after Trump’s freeze on US Aid
Samaritan’s Purse, the charity headed by Billy Graham’s son, the evangelist Franklin Graham, has confirmed that $19 million in frozen US Agency for International Development funds has been released to the ministry. Payments were stalled in January, when Trump ordered a 90-day pause on all federal foreign aid. The U turn follows a Supreme Court ruling that the administration must unfreeze nearly $2 billion for foreign humanitarian work. Franklin Graham is a long-standing Trump supporter, who prayed for him at his inauguration. Religion News Service article here
Greenland land grab boosts ancient wisdom religion
The Associated Press reports on a growing movement to celebrate and preserve Inuit religious traditions in Greenland. It says about 90 per cent of the 57,000 Greenlanders identify as Inuit and the vast majority belong to the Lutheran Church, thanks to a Danish missionary 300 years ago. But the independence movement and pride in ancient wisdom traditions has been boosted by Trump’s threat to take over the country. Spiritual traditions such as drum dancing, spiritual herbs, belief in and access to the spiritual world, divination by shamans and respect for nature where every living thing and part of the earth has a spirit, are said to be growing in importance. The reporter spoke to shaman Aviaja Rakel, whose role is to communicate with the spiritual world, who said: “That’s where I stand – that the arising of our culture, and us as a people, is also to get the equality within our culture, to acknowledge that our culture is legit; that it has to have a space here.” Article is here
George Foreman, heavyweight champion and Christian pastor, has died aged 76
Boxing heavyweight legend George Foreman has died aged 76. He won the world heavyweight title twice, 21 years apart, the second one aged 45, and retired in 1997. But he is well known also for his conversion to Christianity and for the church he founded in Texas, The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. He wrote an account of those years, explaining that it started with preaching, then hosting a radio show, then he started a house church until eventually he bought a plot of land and renovated a dilapidated building to start the church. His family said: “Our hearts are broken. A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose”.
