More Catholic church openness and roles for women advocated in Rome report
A three-year consultation in the Catholic church has ended with a call for more transparency and consultation in church processes and greater roles and power for women. Among progressives, there was dismay that the question of women’s ministry especially allowing them to be deacons, was referred back to a workshop for more consideration, and others were disappointed there was only a passing reference to LGBTQ outreach. But the final document “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission” was described by the Pope as a gift from God, emphasising listening as essential to church harmony, and he said he wanted the content to be acted upon immediately. The “Synod on Synodality” meeting of Catholics from across the world started with a global consultation of all church members and ended with two month-long gatherings in Rome. It concentrated on how individuals and organisations relate to each other within the church, seeking a change of process by continuing the synod model of discussion and inclusion of all. It especially acknowledged lay people in the church’s mission. Final document is here
US presidential candidates court religious vote
In the final days of campaigning in the US presidential election, both candidates have acknowledged the importance of the religious vote. This weekend, Donald Trump addressed a rally in Michigan with several Muslim leaders on the platform, who support him because he has promised to end the war in the middle east. It marks a shift away from their traditional support of the Democrats, caused by objection to Biden’s Gaza policy. Michigan has the largest Muslim percentage population of all the states, at three per cent, and their vote is considered pivotal. Both Trump and Harris have courted the Christian vote. The Guardian reports that Kamala Harris spoke at the predominantly Black megachurch, the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, just outside Atlanta, in a Sunday worship service with a congregation of 4,000. Black voters make up 30 per cent of the electorate in Georgia. Steering clear of campaign messages, she referenced a parable in Luke and said: “Faith is a verb. We show it in action, in our deeds and in our service.” In contrast, Trump addressed a faith townhall at Christ Chapel in Zebulon, Georgia, a predominantly white evangelical mega church, a branch of Christianity known for supporting Trump and comprising 38 per cent of voters in the state. He told his audience that religion is the glue holding the country together. “I say this. Faith – when you have faith, when you believe in God, it’s a big advantage over people that don’t have that. It’s a big advantage”.
Our briefing this week is on the religious vote in the US presidential election, with guests including Pew Research and the Public Religion Research Institute. It’s tomorrow Tuesday 29 October at 1400 UK time. Get the zoom link here.
Jewish community in the UK “has broad opinion on Israel”
Jewish News reports a panel discussion at the JW3 centre in north London on the state of UK-Israel relations. Hannah Weisfeld, executive director of Yachad which seeks support for a political resolution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, said there was a “growing understanding” within the UK government that the Jewish community in the UK has broad opinions on Israel. She is quoted saying: “There are voices in the Jewish community in this country that want to see extremists inside Israel maligned and pushed aside.” The panel also included former Conservative MP and Middle East minister, Alistair Burt, who said David Cameron was constrained as foreign secretary by figures with the Tories who had “strong ties to the state of Israel.” Jewish News reports him saying that the previous Tory government “made a mistake” by giving Israel “the sense it could do anything on settlements and “give a tick in the box to politicians who thought they could do anything.”
Opposition to assisted dying “growing” among MPs
Labour MP Rachael Maskell, who chairs the Dying Well all-party parliamentary group against assisted dying, has told The Guardian that opposition is growing in the Commons. She was part of a 14-month Commons inquiry into assisted dying and said it was a detailed, complex area of healthcare. The Guardian has been told that MPs feel the measure is being rushed through, they haven’t seen the wording of the bill, they are due to debate and vote on 29 November and need more time to consider it. She has been meeting undecided MPs, hoping to persuade them to vote down the bill and push instead for a wide-ranging commission that would explore better palliative care. Guardian story is here
Removing VAT concession on church repairs would “tip many into closure”
The Telegraph reports that 36 Conservative MPs, church leaders and charities have written to the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, urging her to maintain the scheme which exempts historic churches from paying VAT at 20 per cent on restoration work. Gordon Brown brought in the relief in 2004 but there are fears that Rachel Reeves will remove it in this week’s budget. The report says the scheme pays out between £25 million and £40 million a year on VAT claims once the work is done, helping more than 5,000 listed places of worship. In the letter, Sir Philip Rutnam, chairman of the National Churches Trust, said there is a financial crisis affecting church buildings of historic value, which offer essential space for community activities. If VAT is charged, churches will have to rely on local appeals, and failure to raise funds would tip many buildings and community activities into closure.
Bishop Anne Dyer faces new complaint and has not returned to work
The Times reports that the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, Anne Dyer, faces another complaint, three weeks after she was told that earlier allegations of bullying would not be pursued. She had been poised to return to work after a two-year suspension, but four of her fellow bishops advised her to consider her position saying there remained deep divisions in the church. She gave a robust reply and vowed to return, but The Times reports that she is on sick leave and is still not back at work. No details of this latest allegation are known, but a church source said it was serious. One of her supporters told the paper that the new allegation was “ridiculous”,
Jinns, the Unseen and Paganism: What does Islam say about Halloween?
Halloween can be a touchy subject for monotheistic religions, where demons, Satan, and evil are shunned and engagement with the topic is discouraged. Islam scholar Shaykha Fatima Barkatulla says Muslims cannot celebrate Halloween in any form due to its origins in Pagan and non-Islamic traditions. In Islam, a core belief is the Unseen Realm (al-Ghaib), comprising universes that are beyond human perception, as well as supernatural beings including angels, jinn (beings with free will created from smokeless fire), and evil entities such as Shaitan (Satan) which seek to lead people away from their purpose and from Allah. Muslims do not believe in ghosts as the spirits of the dead returning to earth, as souls are believed to reside in the Barzakh — the state between death and resurrection — until the Day of Judgment. What some may perceive as ghosts could be manifestations of the jinn. Practices such as witchcraft are seen as circumventing a belief in Allah as the ultimate reality and are therefore forbidden. Read more on Islam and halloween in an article by Maira Butt here
