Michael Gove says he is minded to withdraw government funding from the Interfaith Network
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove, has written to the Interfaith Network (IFN) to say he is minded to withdraaw government funding, despite an earlier offer. The board is meeting soon to consider whether the charity can continue, or whether it will be required to close due to lack of funds. In a strongly worded statement, the IFN quotes the letter from Mr Gove in which he said he was minded to withdraw the offer of fresh funding (for July 2023 to March 2024) because the IFN has a trustee who is a member of the Muslim Council of Britain and that this posed a reputational risk to government. The IFN has released details of its letter of reply to Mr Gove, naming the circumstances around the appointment of Hassan Joudi on 12 July 2023 and defending his appointment. Its statement makes clear that it has not sought his resignation and affirmed his role as a valued colleague. It says it has a strong commitment to upholding democratic values and if any member body had broken the law or carried out actions resulting in reputational damage to IFN, it would take necessary action. It is continuing to engage with officials and the board will be meeting again in the near future to decide whether the charity’s continuation is possible. The Interfaith Network was founded in 1987 and works to promote good relations between people of different faiths in this country.
Urgent action needed to save UK’s church buildings
The National Churches Trust is appealing for alternative uses for churches to stop any more being closed, and for additional annual public funding of £50million for major repairs. A new manifesto ‘Every Church Counts’, launched today, says urgent action is needed to save the UK’s church buildings, with over 3,500 having shut their doors for good since 2013 and many more now facing closure. It sets out six key actions needed to save the buildings. These include increased funding and incentivising support from the public through a government supported match funding scheme, a network of professional support officers to help the volunteers who look after churches, a strategy to boost tourism to historic churches, more use of churches to house community support activities and the regular opening of churches beyond worship times. Sir Michael Palin, the trust’s vice-president, said churches were “a vital and much-loved part of the UK’s history and we need to act now to prevent the loss of tremendously important local heritage”. The RMC is holding a zoom briefing at 1200 today to discuss the report. For the link, email [email protected]
Rome’s Chief Rabbi expresses disappointment with Vatican’s stance on Gaza
The Chief Rabbi of Rome says the Jewish community is very disappointed with the way the Vatican has responded to the Gaza crisis. Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni ‘s comments came in an interview with the Italian newspaper, Il Giornale, a few days after warning of “many steps backward” in Catholic-Jewish relations on the eve of the annual Week of Prayer of Christian Unity. Crux.now.com reports that Rabbi Di Segni particularly objected to what he described as “a jumble of political and religious declarations that have left us confused and offended,” coming not only from the Vatican but from other church sources, including the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and an ecumenical grouping of the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem.
CofE school chaplain still a safeguarding risk despite DBS decision in his favour
The Church of England has been accused of “throwing one of its own under a bus” for continuing to prevent a school chaplain from officiating at services, after he told pupils they did not have to agree with LGBT ideology. The Rev Dr Bernard Randall, aged 51, was sacked by Trent College in Derbyshire after he preached a sermon on identity politics, gender equality and LGBT rights. He had also expressed concerns about the training provided in the school by LGBT charity Educate and Celebrate. On Wednesday, The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) became the third official body to decide not to take action over referrals by the college. But Dr Randall is not able to work in ministry because the Diocese of Derby has said he poses a moderate risk to children. Andrea Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre said the church authorities’ refusal to clear his name must now change.
Pope says AI can never replace the heart
Pope Francis says the use of the term “artificial intelligence” can prove misleading as it is not enough to be able to store data, as machines do. We need “wisdom of the heart” to make sense of the data and “human beings alone” are capable of this, he said in his message for the 58th World Day of Social Communications. Vatican News quotes him saying that AI is “radically affecting the world of information and communication, and through it, certain foundations of life in society….these changes affect everyone.” The pontiff states that to remain fully human and guide this cultural transformation to serve a good purpose, we need “wisdom of the heart” which cannot be sought from machines.
Vaccination rates remain low in areas with large Jewish communities
Public health officials have renewed appeals to the Jewish community to encourage vaccine uptake. The Jewish Chronicle says figures show vaccination rates remain low in areas with very large Jewish communities and measles cases are likely to spread rapidly unless more people are vaccinated. Dr Will Maimaris, director of public health at Haringey Council, said: “We are working closely with the London Jewish Health Partnership, Hackney Council, the NHS and local Charedi community organisations to ensure easy access to MMR vaccination and support for families to protect their children against measles.”
Nearly a quarter of a million Jewish survivors of the Holocaust are still alive
About 245,000 Jewish survivors of the Holocaust are still living, across more than 90 countries, according to a new report, “Holocaust Survivors Worldwide. A Demographic Overview’” by the New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. AP says that there were only vague estimates of how many Holocaust survivors are still alive before the publication of the report, which is based on figures that were collected up until August. The vast majority, 96 per cent, are “child survivors” who were born after 1928. Nearly half of the survivors are living in Israel according to the study.
Meanwhile, survivors of genocide joined senior politicians including the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, faith leaders and other public figures at yesterday’s Holocaust Memorial Day national ceremony in central London. They called for people to understand, empathise with and value each other – and condemned the rise of prejudice.
Saudi Arabia to open first alcohol store for non-Muslim diplomats
Reuters is reporting that Saudi Arabia is preparing to open its first alcohol store in the capital, Riyadh, in the coming weeks to exclusively serve non-Muslim diplomats. The move is part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to open the ultra-Conservative Muslim country for tourism and businesses in the post-oil economy. Drinking alcohol is forbidden in Islam and in some countries is punishable by lashes, deportation, fines or imprisonment. Expats also face deportation.
Canterbury Cathedral opens up its precincts free of charge to visitors
Canterbury Cathedral has announced a new six-week new trial inviting visitors to explore its historic precincts for free. From Monday (29 January), sightseers can visit the southern precincts including the Memorial Garden, the Dark Entry and the Green Court for free. Visitors will still need to pay to enter the cathedral building, as well as the northern side of the precincts including the Cloisters, Herb Garden and Chapter House during standard sightseeing hours. The cathedral was founded by St Augustine in 597 AD and is a major pilgrimage destination and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It costs nearly £30,000 per day to keep the Cathedral open to all, and there is no funding from Government or the Church of England. Full details are available on the cathedral website.
