Faith response to the budget:
The Bishop of Leicester Martyn Snow, who leads on child poverty issues for the Church of England, “warmly welcomed” the decision to lift the two child limit decision. He said: “I warmly welcome the Government’s decision to remove the two-child limit from next April. This will make a profoundly positive difference to hundreds of thousands of children and their families. The Church of England has long called for this day as we believe in the equal and unsurpassable worth of every single child. As we celebrate the end of the two-child limit and commend the Government for taking action, we will continue to draw attention to the barriers – such as the household benefit cap – which still prevent many families from accessing vital support for their children.”
Sarah Edwards, Executive Director of the Just Money Movement, says the budget had half-measures only to make the sums add up and did not reflect a deep commitment to invest in the country and tackle inequality. She says there were welcome steps to tackle poverty, abolishing the two child cap and increasing the minimum wage, but the largest tax rises were ‘taxes by stealth’ on working people, through freezing Income Tax and National Insurance thresholds. Welcomes need for wealthiest to pay more, but ‘mansion tax’ does not go far enough to provide necessary root-and-branch reform to Council Tax. In summary: “We are disappointed in the substance of this Budget. These half-measures only serve to make the sums add up and do not reflect a deep commitment to invest in the country and tackle inequality”.
Bishop Richard Moth, chair of the Department for Social Justice for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has welcomed the government’s decision to scrap the two-child cap on Universal Credit payments. He said: “Repealing this policy, although overdue, comes at a significant cost to the government and we applaud that decision. Large families are a blessing rather than a burden. We must consider how, in a variety of ways, we can support the flourishing of families which are necessary to secure the future of our society. There is still much work to be done to address the scourge of child poverty. Over 90 per cent of our schools have reported encountering families that are struggling with the cost of living, and 70 per cent have noted worsening conditions. Our ongoing response to child poverty should be urgent and multifaceted, considering a range of solutions.”
Christians Against Poverty has also welcomed the decision to remove the two-child limit, while highlighting that without the removal of the overall cap on the payment of benefits for families, children may still face poverty. The charity also welcomed the increases in the minimum and living wage. Supporting young people into employment, caps on rail fares and prescriptions will bring “light relief”, it says, but it will continue to watch the outcome of ongoing reviews into child poverty and universal credit. It says40 per cent of parents with children under 18 report having daily anxiety about their finances. But it warns that there are “significant gaps in moves towards proper welfare reform that would guarantee households have a basic level of income to be able to afford the most basic essentials.”
More time allocated in the Lords for debate on assisted dying bill
The chief whip in the House of Lords has assigned an extra ten days in the new year for the assisted dying bill to be debated, in addition to the four days of debate that have already occurred. Humanists UK welcomed the move, saying peers have been filibustering by putting forward more than 1000 amendments in an attempt to talk it out of time. Nikki da Costa, former director of legislative affairs No10, said she had heard rumours that there would be an attempt to use the Parliament Acts to force the bill through, in the face of Lords opposition, but said this would not succeed.
Pope Leo starts first international visit today in Turkey
Pope Leo XIV will make his debut on the international stage today when he arrives in Ankara at the start of a five day visit to Turkey and Lebanon. In both places, he will advance dialogue among Christians, visiting Iznik to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which determined the divinity of Jesus Christ. In an apostolic letter published last Sunday, he said the Nicaea council remained relevant today because of its ecumenical value. He will also sign a joint declaration with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, and visit Beirut, where an explosion killed nearly 220 people and left thousands of others injured in 2020. During his visit to Lebanon, Pope Leo will meet privately with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and the Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, with a message of support for peace and unity in a country where violence between Hezbollah and Israel threatens peace. One third of the population is Christian and he will meet local pastors as well as visiting the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or the “Blue Mosque”, named after its ornate architecture.
Caritas Ukraine leads efforts to reintegrate children taken by Russia in war
Pope Leo has met a delegation of Ukrainian mothers, wives, and teenagers forcibly taken to Russia during the war, to discuss efforts to secure the return of civilians to Ukraine, particularly children. They were joined by US Senator Amy Klobuchar who is supporting their cause. A report from the Yake School of Public Health said there could be as many as 35,000 children unlawfully deported from Ukraine, separated from their families and communities, to at least 57 facilities, including 13 in Belarus and 43 in Russia and Russia-occupied territory. The report accused Russia of targeting “vulnerable groups of children for deportation, including orphans, children with disabilities, children from low-income families, and children with parents in the military.” Russia says the children were deported for their safety. Ukrainian organisations say it was an attempt to indoctrinate children to become enemies of their own nation.” An estimated 1,835 children have been returned and the Catholic News Agency reports on the role of the Catholic aid agency Caritas, in working with some of those children, assessing their needs and providing psychological, medical and practical help. It works with a network of 49 local organizations and more than 300 active parish assistance centres.
Hare Krishna buy back their original base in London
A five storey, Georgian town house in Bloomsbury has been bought back by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, as a base for the movement in London. The Times reports that the building had originally been bought by one of the Beatles, George Harrison, who had become fascinated with the Hindu faith and wanted to help the movement grow in the UK. It was sold and the group moved to Bhaktivedanta Manor – Hare Krishna Temple Watford. The Times quotes Praghosa Dasa, of ISKCON UK’s Governing Body Commission, saying it was a “full-circle moment” that had allowed them to “reclaim our spiritual birthplace in the UK”.
Archbishop and BBC DG vie for title of Britain’s most impossible job
Iain Hollingshead, writing in The Telegraph, considers which is Britain’s most impossible job – Archbishop of Canterbury or BBC director-general. He says in both cases they have to suffer a recruitment progress which is very slow, they will both have to clear up the mess from their predecessor, both face having to deal with safeguarding scandals, both have to work with unmanageable people and both face an existential threat, from falling congregations to competition about which a person has no control. Article here
‘Light the World’ charity vending gift machines launch in London and Birmingham
“Light the World” machines — full-height vending-style units that sell charity gifts — are coming to Spitalfields in London and the Bullring in Birmingham in the run-up to Christmas. The brightly lit machines display images of charity gifts such as a chicken, a pack of baby clothes, food parcels, clean water or a shelter tool kit. Shoppers simply tap the image of the gift they want, pay on a contactless machine and receive a receipt. Charities featured this year, which provide the gifts, images and words for the screen, include FareShare, the Felix Project, Jesuit Refugee Service, Muslim Aid and ShelterBox. The innovative scheme is provided and sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints which covers all the costs. It has run globally across six continents since 2017 raising $50 million for projects worldwide. This is its second year in Britain. At the launch, SNP MP Brendan O’Hara called the concept “absolutely wonderful”, saying it was a digitised version of his mother’s custom of giving him charity presents: “For years I’ve received goats and tents and chickens, and I now probably own several hundred thousand beasts across Africa and Asia.” Elder Kevin Pearson, a senior leader in the Europe North area, said the aim was simply to “lift the world a little bit with some kindness and compassion.”
