Pope Francis “saddened” at escalation of violence in Lebanon
Pope Francis says “I am “saddened by the news coming from Lebanon about bombings, death, and destruction. May the international community make every effort to stop this terrible escalation. It is unacceptable. I express my solidarity with the Lebanese people, who have already suffered too much.” He was speaking at the end of Wednesday’s general audience in Rome. The Pope, aged 87, begins a four-day visit to Luxembourg and Brussels today. Last week he returned from an intense 12-day visit to four countries in south east Asia. A spokesman for the Belgian Bishops’ Conference said they are looking to the Pope to inspire them and remind them of the meaning of the church in a secular society. The Pope said he hoped it would be an opportunity for a new surge of faith in those countries.
British Muslims generate £70 billion a year for the UK economy, but many are “considering emigration”
Research by the think tank Equi, says that British Muslims generate £70 billion a year for the UK economy, comprising £42 billion from the Muslim workforce, £25 billion from Muslim-owned businesses, and £2.4 billion in charitable donations and volunteer time. It says Muslims are represented in many public services, own businesses creating employment in areas of deprivation, and through networks, have created the UK as a “hotspot” for Islamic financial investments, Muslim tourism, and halal industries: “London has become the West’s Islamic finance capital”. But the report warns that British Muslims are 50 per cent more likely to want to leave the UK than the average British citizen. Muslims earning more than £62,000 are 65 per cent more likely to consider emigration. It cites polling which reveals that religious discrimination is a key factor driving this desire to leave. It says this potential “brain and wealth drain” poses a significant risk to the UK economy and society. Report is here
Justice Secretary visits Southport mosque to show solidarity with Muslim community
The Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has visited Southport Mosque, which was attacked by rioters the day after three young girls were tragically stabbed to death at a dance class. The Press Association reports that she met worshippers and the Imam, Ibrahim Hussein, who described being one of seven people trapped in the mosque as rocks and bricks were thrown at windows, and said he feared the building would be burned down. Ms Mahmood said this was her first opportunity to show solidarity with the Mosque’s community after everything they went through. She prayed before discussing their experience of the summer’s disorder. She praised Southport’s response, where people rallied round to repair the damage and supported Muslims in the town, as “the best of British”.
Pope Francis offered to give refuge to the former leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi
An Italian Jesuit journal has revealed that Pope Francis offered to give the former leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, refuge at the Vatican. He had earlier called for her release from prison, where she has been sentenced to 33 years on 12 charges including corruption. The Pope spoke about the case during meetings with Jesuits on his recent visit to south east Asia. These were transcribed and published by La Civiltà this week. The transcripts say that in Indonesia, a Jesuit from Myanmar asked the Pope how people could go forward with hope in the midst of violence and turmoil after a military coup and the arrest of Suu Kyi in 2021. He replied that the situation in Myanmar is difficult: “There are good young people fighting for their homeland. In Myanmar today you cannot be silent: you have to do something! The future of your country must be peace, based on respect for the dignity and rights of all”. He is quoted saying: “Right now, Aung San Suu Kyi is a symbol. And political symbols are to be defended.” Report in “America: The Jesuit Review” here.
Pope expels ten people from Peruvian movement after “sadistic” abuse of power
Ten people including a bishop, priests and laypeople, have been expelled from a Catholic movement in Peru after a Vatican investigation uncovered “sadistic” abuses of power, authority and spirituality. The move against the leadership of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, or Sodalitium of Christian Life, followed Pope Francis’ decision last month to expel the group’s founder, Luis Figari, after he was found to have had sex with his recruits. The Associated Press reports that the latest news was announced by the Peruvian Bishops Conference, which posted a statement from the Vatican embassy on its website, attributing the expulsions to a “special” decision taken by Francis. AP reports the statement saying “the Vatican investigators uncovered physical abuses including with sadism and violence, sect-like abuses of conscience, spiritual abuse, abuses of authority, economic abuses in administering church money and the “abuse in the exercise of the apostolate of journalism.”
US Christian leaders urge voters to repudiate anti-democratic ideas
Two hundred Christian leaders in America have signed a statement urging Christians to defend democracy and repudiate “anti-democratic sentiment”, namely ideologies such as Christian nationalism and racism. Some of the rioters at the insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021, said they were protesting in the name of Jesus Christ, but this statement says: “Christian faith has been distorted and leveraged in defence of authoritarian leaders who seek to erode freedoms essential to a thriving democracy”. Instead the statement, organised by Jim Wallis, founder of “The Sojourners”, said democratic society has Christian principles such as the belief that all people are made in the image of God, the biblical mandate to love the stranger and one’s enemy, and Jesus Christ’s call to be peacemakers. Religion News Service report here.
US judge blocks rule helping employees who had an abortion
A judge in North Dakota has blocked a federal agency from enforcing a law crafted by President Biden’s administration, requiring employers to accommodate employees who have abortions or undergo certain fertility treatments. District Judge Daniel Traynor issued a preliminary injunction sought by the Catholic Benefits Association and the Catholic Diocese of Bismarck. They argued that the law violated protections for religious freedom under the First Amendment, and a federal law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The judge issued the injunction after deciding that the plaintiffs were likely to win because the new requirements “force individuals to violate sincerely held religious beliefs.” Reuters report here
Minister joins literary greats on festival bill
The Rev Neil Glover, a Church of Scotland minister, will appear alongside the literati when he takes the stage at the St Andrew’s Book Festival in London in November. On the programme are Sir Ian Rankin, Sir Alexander McCall Smith and Ann Cleeves, whose work inspired the TV crime series Shetland. Mr Glover, minister of five parishes in Scotland, will be publicising Finding Our Voice, a passionate call for the Church of Scotland and other mainline churches to reverse the decline in congregations. Full report here
