Jewish leaders call for national strategy to combat antisemitism
Jewish community leaders are calling on ministers to adopt a national strategy to tackle antisemitism, with priorities listed across policing, extremism, universities and civil society. The strategy highlights the need for sustained visible policing around synagogues and schools, tougher enforcement on violent rhetoric at protests, greater powers for the Charity Commission to shut down extremist fronts, and tighter rules to confront harassment and incitement on university campuses. The groups producing the paper were the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Union of Jewish Students, following consultation with the Community Security Trust and others. They decided to come together with a response to the Manchester synagogue attack when two people were killed and three seriously injured. Their policy document is called “After the Heaton Park attack: Towards a Comprehensive Government Strategy on Antisemitism” and they are intending to discuss the conclusions with government departments.
CofE attendance up, but still not back to pre-Covid levels
The Church of England’s annual report on the number of regular worshippers, has found that congregations rose by 0.6 per cent in a year, to 1,009,000 in 2024, with confirmations up but baptisms down. However, numbers have still not recovered to pre-Covid levels and are 9.4 per cent lower than in 2019. The number of baptisms and marriages in 2024 was approximately 30 per cent lower than in 2019, and the number of funerals was 24 per cent lower. An average middle sized church has 26 worshippers, compared to 34 in 2019, and just one child in each church compared to three in 2019. Within the report, Dr Ken Eames, from the Church of England’s data services team, referenced the Bible Society’s survey “A Quiet Revival” which said there was a 56 per cent growth in attendance at all churches in England and Wales in 2024, as compared to 2018 – although it too recorded a steady decline among Anglican churchgoers. He said: “As the Statistics for Mission figures clearly demonstrate, by almost every measure, in almost every diocese, Church of England attendance and participation was still significantly lower in 2024 than in 2018. It would be naive to believe that the Statistics for Mission figures are accurate to the nearest person; however, I am confident that the national totals and trends calculated from the Statistics for Mission dataset are broadly accurate.” CofE press release here, report is here. Church Times report here
Graffiti attack on Scotland’s largest mosque under investigation
Police in Scotland are investigating after Glasgow Central Mosque, the largest in Scotland, was vandalised, with graffiti saying “SF Scots First” painted in white on the outside walls. The writing was noticed on Monday morning and police are treating it as a hate crime, saying they “take this kind of offending seriously”. A statement from Glasgow Central Mosque on Twitter / X said they were deeply upset by the incident: “Acts like this do not represent the values of Glasgow or Scotland. Our city is renowned for its warmth, diversity, and sense of community, and it is that spirit which will always prevail.”
Latin Mass revived at St Peter’s Basilica
Cardinal Raymond Burke, an ardent traditionalist and critic of Pope Francis, has celebrated the Tridentine Mass at St Peter’s Basilica, a significant moment after Pope Francis restricted its use in 2021. Three thousand pilgrims, including children, packed into the altar area, for a service rich in ancient rites including the use of Latin, incense, bowing and priests standing with their backs to the congregation. The Latin Mass declined after Vatican II as the church sought to modernise worship and make it more accessible to contemporary society. But four years ago, the liturgy was restricted after it spread in the US among critics of Pope Francis’ progressive stand, in a movement led by Cardinal Burke, who was removed from his Vatican job in 2014 as a response to “those who work against the Church.” Writing in The Telegraph, Joseph Shaw, chairman of the Latin Mass Society, who attended the Mass in Rome, said he found a deeper spiritual experience in the ritual and reported that it is attracting new interest from “zealous young Catholics” who buck progressive tendencies, more likely to “believe less fashionable official teachings, answer a call to priesthood or the convent, or to marry and have a large number of children.”
PRRI survey on American values, polarisation and religious identity
The annual American Values Survey, by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), charts opinions on religion, politics, morals and values, with data from more than 5000 US adults. PRRI’s founder Robert P Jones, says the survey indicates that polarisation of US society is asymmetric. He says: “It’s not two parties drifting apart equally, but Trump, the Republican Party, and white evangelicals moving away from most Americans. The survey also shows what we miss about the nature of our divides when the media ignores their ethno-religious nature.” The survey shows how religious identity is strongly aligned with political positions around immigration, national identity, religious freedom, and minority rights, and suggests how this will translate into votes at the mid-term elections. One finding suggests two-thirds of Americans, including most Democrats (85 per cent) and independents (70 per cent), say they would prefer the US to be a nation made up of people belonging to a wide variety of religions, compared with 32 per cent of Americans who say they would prefer a nation primarily made up of people who follow the Christian faith. The survey is here
Archbishop of Chicago issues message of support to migrants
The Catholic Archbishop of Chicago has issued a message of support to migrants, as ICE raids in the city have resulted in 3,000 arrests. Cardinal Blaise Cupich said he shares the pain of many immigrant communities: “Families are being torn apart. Children are left in fear, and communities are shaken by immigration raids and detentions. These actions wound the soul of our city. Let me be clear. The church stands with migrants”. He says parishes and schools will not turn away those who seek comfort and will not be silent when dignity is denied. To immigrants without documents, he said: “Most of you have been here for years. You have worked hard. You have raised families. You have contributed to this nation. You have earned our respect. As the Archbishop of Chicago, I will insist that you be treated with dignity. Americans should not forget that we all come from immigrant families. You are our brothers and sisters. We stand with you.” Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and Quaker groups have worked together issuing statements, joining demonstrations, offering sanctuary and calling for an end to ‘inhumane” action.
MSP faces no further action over remarks on Buddhism and Rangers boss
Murdo Fraser, a former deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives and MSP, has been told he faces no further action after he called for “no more vegans, Buddhists or Green Party members” at Ibrox. His social media post was a response to Rangers sacking its manager Russell Martin, who has recently said that Buddhism helped him to visualise his sporting goals as well as embracing environmentalism and left-wing politics. Mr Fraser says the police should stop investigating jokes about football. He told The Courier: “It is not — and never should be — a crime to make jokes about football. In the least surprising news ever, Police Scotland have confirmed to me that no law was broken in relation to my recent social media post on Russell Martin. They were never going to find otherwise.” Times report here
