States Assembly of Jersey votes to allow assisted dying
Members of the States Assembly of Jersey have voted to allow assisted dying for terminally ill adults on the island. The vote was 32 to 16 and will need royal assent before becoming law. The bill applies to people with terminal illnesses expected to die within six months, or 12 months for those with neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease. Jersey becomes the second part of the British Isles to allow assisted dying, following the Isle of Man which voted in favour last year. Scotland is due to vote on a similar law next month, while in Westminster, the assisted dying bill is going through the Lords slowly and may run out of time to be passed.
‘Catalogue of failures’ led to bishop’s promotion despite sex abuse allegations
The Church in Wales has published a review into how the former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, Anthony Pierce, was appointed to senior church roles in the 1990s despite senior clergy knowing of sexual abuse allegations against him. He was a bishop between 1999 and 2008, when he retired. Last year he was jailed for four years for sexual offences against a boy aged under 16 between 1985 and 1990, when he was a parish priest in Swansea. A review found senior clergy were aware of sexual abuse allegations against him when he was made Archdeacon and then Bishop, and the allegations were not reported to the police until 2010. Yesterday another review of the whole story said there were missed opportunities, harmful assumptions and inadequate processes. The Archbishop of Wales, Cherry Vann, said: “This catalogue of failures can only be a source of shame for the Church and will have caused further trauma to abuse victims and their families”. The Church said it would fully apply the lessons learned.
Church based clubs ‘help give jobseekers hope and confidence’
Christians Against Poverty has produced a report on “Barriers to Work” which identifies that the biggest barrier is a crisis of “worth” and self-esteem. It reveals a “moat of rejection”, where nine million UK adults have been unsuccessful in 10 or more job applications in the last year, “leading to a profound sense of hopelessness”. The report suggests that church-run clubs have a role in supporting job seekers as “neighbours not statistics” and building confidence in the stress of poverty. It is calling for a “Liveable Incomes” strategy, arguing that work must be a genuine bridge out of poverty, rather than a cycle of debt and zero-hour contracts. CAP has a long history of helping people into employment through free community-based job clubs, where people are supported into voluntary roles to gain experience and build strengths and abilities.
Campaigners object to Reform UK at Church House
Four campaigners against right wing Christian nationalism have written to the management at Church House in London, the administrative base of the Church of England, complaining that Reform UK hosted a press conference there this week, when the party unveiled its shadow cabinet. An Anglican priest from Christians Against the Far Right, Rev Dr Keith Brindle, said Church House had provided a veneer of spiritual legitimacy to Reform UK’s “anti-migrant and anti-Muslim politics”. Another Anglican from Christians for a Welcoming Britain said Reform UK had tried to “faith wash” themselves by holding their event there. The management organisation that runs Church House issued a statement to Premier Christian News saying: “Church House Conference Centre is an independent commercial entity and is not part of the Church of England .. Church House Conference Centre operates on a commercial basis, accepting bookings from organisations that meet our ethical lettings policy.”
£1million for US news agency to report on religion and immigration
The Henry Luce Foundation has awarded grants of £1 million to the US based Religion News Service, to launch a multimedia news hub focused on faith and immigrant communities. It will enable an expansion of immigration coverage and a new digital atlas of faith, migration, and belonging. Reporting on religion and immigration in local communities is underway, and the creation of an “Atlas of American Belonging” will begin now, showing patterns of faith, immigration, and national identity. Deborah Caldwell, Publisher and CEO of Religion News Service said the Atlas would “help the public understand how faith and migration continue to shape and challenge who belongs in America, not just for the 250th anniversary, but in the years beyond.”
Progressive Jewish leaders oppose Western Wall bill
Progressive Jewish leaders in the UK have warned that new laws in Israel could effectively prevent non-Orthodox Jews from access to the Western Wall. The bill would place the entire Western Wall plaza under the authority of the Chief Rabbinate, removing space for mixed-gender and progressive worship, and could even criminalise non-Orthodox forms of prayer. Jewish News reports that Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, co-leaders of the Movement for Progressive Judaism in the UK, said this was a significant departure from longstanding understandings with non-Orthodox communities abroad. They said: “The Western Wall does not belong to one stream of Judaism or to one political coalition. It is a sacred national site for the entire Jewish people.” They warned that the legislation risks deepening divisions between Israel and Jews overseas.
Super mosque building project paused due to £4million shortfall
A project to build a three storey high “super mosque” in Gillingham, Kent, has been put on hold due to a £4 million shortfall. Kent Online reports that the building was due to hold two prayer halls for men and women, a mortuary, café and 92 foot high minaret. Work began in 2017, but it lies unfinished with local people saying it looks like a multi storey car park. It is needed because of a growing Muslim community – 1000 people arrive for prayer on Fridays. Ajaib Hussain, the KMWA chairman, told Kent Online that they need donations and further funding to complete the project. The paper says floors and roofing will cost an estimated £1.6 million, with more needed to make it watertight.
Bake Off star lost brand deals when people ‘clocked’ she was Muslim
The Great British Bake-Off star, Nadiya Hussain, has given an interview saying that she lost three brand deals on the day that her Ramadan Cookbook “Rooza” was published last year. At that point she realised that people had “finally clocked” the fact that she was Muslim, she said, and it made them really uncomfortable. She has also said that she believes her religion was a factor in the BBC’s decision not to renew her programmes last year, after more than a decade. The BBC denies this and a spokesman told The Mail that they remain open to working with her in the future. Nadiya has been giving multiple interviews as she publishes her new cookbook “Nadiya’s Quick Comforts” and re-invents her career.
