National celebration marks 60 years of inter-religious dialogue
Representatives from six different religions came together at St Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham yesterday for a national celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the 1965 declaration of the Second Vatican Council on “The Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions”. The occasion included Sung Vespers with reflections from Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Christian representatives, and a panel discussion on “Dying to Live”, the challenges faced by Birmingham’s faith communities in end-of-life care settings. Archbishop Bernard Longley, host bishop and chair of the Bishops’ Conference’s department for dialogue and unity, described the vision of Nostra Aetate as a way of recognising “rays of truth and goodness reflected in other religions, so as to initiate and promote a deeper dialogue between us all” and he said this was as important now as ever. The church said the celebration was an opportunity to express gratitude for the warmth of the interreligious dialogue built over the past 60 years, and to renew its commitment to fruitful dialogue in the future. View the celebration here
Disquiet over Sarah Mullaly’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury is ‘overplayed’
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has said that the tension in the Anglican communion following the appointment of Dame Sarah Mullaly as the first woman to hold the role of Archbishop of Canterbury, “has been very overplayed”. Interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme, he declined to answer questions on the letter from the traditionalist group Gafcon, sent two weeks after Dame Sarah’s appointment, which declared that it is now the true Global Anglican Communion, separating itself from the existing Anglican Communion over its “revisionist agenda”. The Archbishop of York told Sunday: “The election of Sarah as Archbishop of Canterbury has been received with great joy by the vast majority of the Anglican Communion and indeed by the Catholic Church who have written and welcomed her….I’m personally delighted that Sarah will be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. But of course, yes, there are differences, but we are not going to let those differences cause further division. We’re going to model love and service to each other and to the world across our differences.”
Plan to appoint interim, experienced Bishop of Bangor to sort out complex problems
The Church in Wales has announced revised plans for the appointment of a new Bishop of Bangor following the retirement of Bishop Andy John on 31 August. He left after two reports into Bangor Cathedral which described weak governance of finances, a culture where “sexual boundaries seemed blurred” and excessive drinking. The process to elect a new Bishop was due to have been made at a residential meeting in Llandudno in November, but in a public letter, Archbishop Cherry Vann said it has been decided to seek approval for an alternative interim approach, whereby “an experienced bishop should be invited to come to Bangor for a period of one to two years to provide leadership and stability and to work with the diocese to strengthen leadership, finance, governance and management”. The governing body will meet for a special meeting in Llandudno on Tuesday 25 November to discuss this changed plan.
Witchcraft surges on Etsy as people seek life-changing spells
The Times reports the popularity of Etsy witches, casting spells, fortune reading, offering psychic readings and drawing your ideal future soulmate. For £4.72 they will cast a spell so you win the lottery, £3.06 to advise on a sacred space for healing over a broken relationship, £234.66 to be made invisible. Reporter Laura Antonia Jordan explains that the Etsy witches were popularised by TikTok and went viral earlier this year “when the New York influencer Jaz Smith posted that she had hired one to ensure good weather on her Long Island wedding day. She got it.” The report says that TikTok recounts stories of jobs secured, houses sold, and soulmates appearing. But a request to curse Charlie Kirk was followed by his assassination. The witch site concerned denounced the violent act and the post was taken down. People turn to magic and religion when life is out of control, according to a psychologist quoted in the article. And a witch explains that interest is rising now as it did during Covid, at a time when the world is in turmoil and life feels uncertain. In such times, she says, people crave meaning and witchcraft is “a kind of symbolic activism”. Read the article here
Muslim candidate for New York mayor: ‘Islamophobia is endemic in the US’
Zohran Mamdani, 34 years old, a Muslim born in Uganda who came to the US at the age of seven, is way ahead in the polls as the candidate to be the next New York city mayor. But he has faced opposition condemned as racism and Islamophobia in the campaign, with calls for his naturalisation process to be examined for violation of the rules, calls for his deportation because he is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York, laughed when a radio presenter said that Mamdani would be cheering at another 9/11. In an interview with MSNBC, Mamdani called out Islamophobia in the United States, which he said was endemic: “We have seen it normalized. We have seen it accepted. And it has come to a point where to speak up about it is seen as if you are making it into an issue, whereas in fact you are naming that which already exists.” Two days ago, he gave a passionate speech about Muslims in America who he said, face routine suspicion, discrimination and hatred. Muslims only wished to be treated equally and the election would be a vote on ending Islamophobia.
Police investigate another racially motivated rape in the West Midlands
Police are investigating another racially motivated attack against a young woman in the West Midlands. In a press statement, they say they’re investigating after a woman in her 20s was raped in the Park Hall area of Walsall at 7.15pm on Saturday night. They responded after members of the public heard calls for distress. Officers established that she had been raped and assaulted at a nearby property by a man she did not know. He is described as white, in his 30s, with short hair, and was wearing dark clothing. Police are continuing to investigate a racially aggravated rape on a 20 year old woman in Tame Road, Oldbury on Tuesday 9 September, and a rape in Hurst Green Park, Halesowen on Thursday 16 October.
Campaign to allow Sikh Jhatka method of slaughtering animals
A Sikh organisation called the Jhatka Council is campaigning for legal recognition of the Sikh Jhatka method of ethical slaughter of meat in the UK. The method involves beheading an animal by a single strike, which Sikhs believe is the quickest and most humane and compassionate way to slaughter an animal. The campaign is backed by Gurinder Singh Josan, MP, who explains that, although he is a vegetarian, he is behind the campaign’s argument that in the UK Halal and Kosher meat are allowed, so Sikhs need equivalent status. The campaign is running a series of meetings in parliament this session, giving information and answering questions on animal welfare and the Jhatka method.
Samaritan’s Purse ‘ramping up’ aid to Gaza
Samaritan’s Purse, the relief organisation led by the evangelist the Rev Franklin Graham, has said it is ramping up its role in delivering aid to Gaza, while the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, also once led by a Trump supporting evangelical, Johnnie Moore, is being wound down. Franklin Graham told a reporter from the Religion News Service that the GHF was being folded and had lost government funding. GHF says its activities were paused during the period of the hostage release. It was criticised for its operation of food distribution sites, where more than 1,000 Palestinians were killed. Mr Graham said that Samaritans Purse would prefer not to work with the UN to deliver aid, because the bureaucracy slowed things down. It has sent out packets of supplementary food used in cases of acute malnutrition, blankets and solar lights, funded by public donations. Since 7 October, it has also donated 42 ambulances to Israel and is building nine community centres and bomb shelters in the north of Israel. RNS story here
First Orthodox Christian primary school in Scotland
A group of parents in Edinburgh are setting up Scotland’s first Orthodox primary school, to be called St Andrew’s Orthodox Church School, based at Craigmillar Park Church. The private school says it aims to offer a “traditional, classical education’ in a ‘low-tech environment”, with space to discuss, debate and play, as a direct response to “the over-digitalisation of childhood”. The initiative is supported by St Andrew’s Orthodox Church in Edinburgh and the Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain, which looks to Constantinople as its head, including Greek Orthodox. There are understood to be only two other Orthodox schools in Britain, both in London. The Herald report is here
Memorial event for people who died on Snowdon
A memorial event to remember people who have died on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and the surrounding peaks, has been held at Nant Peris church, the first such event held there. The gathering “Cysgod yr Wyddfa” (In Yr Wyddfa’s Shadow), was organised by the Rev Naomi Starkey following four recent deaths on the mountain and routes nearby, including a tragedy on Crib Goch, which is above the church. The bilingual gathering was a time for quiet reflection rather than a formal church service and included gentle music, readings, and the opportunity to light a candle. A collection was taken for Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, which is called out 200 times a year.
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