Pope Francis, 87, prepares for longest foreign trip in his papacy
Pope Francis will embark on his longest visit yet, a 12 day trip to Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore, starting on Monday. At 87 and suffering from ill health, having to use a wheelchair because of a knee complaint, his 20,000 mile trip has caused concern from Catholics who want him to rest. But his programme includes meetings with clergy, large scale masses, speeches and conversations with heads of state. The Associated Press reports that he will attend an interfaith meeting with Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Protestants at the Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta, and is likely to walk along the tunnel linking it to the adjacent Catholic cathedral. Later he will visit Argentinian missionaries in Papua New Guinea, and see poverty first hand on his journey. John Allen, editor of the Catholic news site Crux, is quoted saying: “He is trying to show his Biden moment hasn’t yet arrived”.
South Africa’s Chief Rabbi denounces Pope and Archbishop over comments on Israel
The Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Warren Goldstein, has denounced the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope for supporting a ruling by the International Court of Justice that Israel’s presence in the West Bank and east Jerusalem is unlawful. Earlier this month, Justin Welby issued a statement supporting Palestinian Christians in the occupied territories. He said: “It is clear to me that the regime imposed by successive Israeli governments in the occupied Palestinian Territories is one of systemic discrimination.. It is clear that ending the occupation is a legal and moral necessity”. The Pope has spoken in the past of the “violation of rights, isolation and the flight of entire communities” saying the situation had become increasingly unacceptable. Rabbi Goldstein posted on Twitter / X that, by their support, both men had abandoned their most sacred duty to protect and defend the values of the Bible. He said now was the time for religious leaders to speak up for Western values and freedoms instead of being indifferent to the murder of Christians in Africa and to the threat of terrorism throughout Europe. Jewish News report here.
Kamala Harris campaign hires faith engagement director
The Kamala Harris US presidential campaign has hired a national faith engagement director to court religious voters. The Religion News Service reports that the job has gone to the Rev Jen Butler, a Presbyterian minister known for helping to found and lead the “Faith in Public Life” campaigning think tank, which supports immigrant rights, voting rights, health care reform and LGBTQ rights. She told the RNS that she brought a broad set of relationships able to quickly pull a broad coalition together, explaining: “I also recognize that we’re at a pivotal moment in American democracy where faith voices for justice are needed now more than ever. The Harris-Walz campaign is a really unique opportunity to shift the debate.”
String of sackings and departures at the dissenting Free Church of England
The Rev Brett Murphy, a priest in the Free Church of England whose church is in Morecambe, has been sacked. His is the latest in a string of departures and sackings of clergy in the church, which was set up in the 19th century but has recently been the place where opponents of same sex marriage have moved, in protest at the decision by the Church of England general synod to allow same sex blessings. There are only 18 congregations in England. In a video on YouTube he says he doesn’t know the reason for his sacking, and explains that he grew his Morecombe church from two people in their 80’s to a thriving congregation of 50. He is critical of the “Primus”, leading bishop in the northern diocese of the church, John Fenwick, and is appealing against the decision. If he loses, his departure date will coincide with the birth of his third child, and he has set up a donations page which has already achieved £130,000. The story is told in detail on the right-wing conservative Christian site Caldron Pool and there is an analysis of why there are so many departures from the church, including a whole diocese in South America, in an article by the Rev Stephen Parsons. The Free Church of England has hit the headlines because of the characters involved. Brett Murphy was disciplined for calling a transgender priest “a bloke”; Calvin Robinson, who came to public attention through being denied ordination because, he says, of his anti-woke views, then made appearances on GB News, has left the church for unknown reasons and has joined the Nordic Catholic Association; and the Rev Matthew Firth, who claimed this year that the CofE was operating a conveyor belt of baptisms for asylum seekers – a view debunked by the church – joined the Free Church of England in 2020 and is now planting churches in York. He declared earlier this month that he had allowed his name to go forward for the role of Chancellor of the University of Oxford.
No Diwali Lights switch-on ceremony this year in Leicester
Leicester City Council has cancelled the Diwali lights switch-on event this year because of rising costs. The BBC reports the council saying that the cost has increased £189,000 in 2018, to almost £250,000 because of rising traffic management, security, and associated infrastructure expenses. The illuminations along the Golden Mile on Belgrave Road will still be displayed but without the switch on ceremony. Shivani Raja, Leicester East MP, said this would be a huge blow to the city as local businesses had profited from the huge crowds on the day.
Blessing tadpoles and a shire horse – the calling of the Rev Richard Coles
The Rev Richard Coles, Anglican priest and broadcaster, discloses in The Times that he has blessed a few animals in his time – everything from tadpoles to a shire horse. He says he likes the idea of the parish church opening for the community it serves: “I think our job is not to set a standard of orthodox belief that must be met before people may participate, but to invite them to step over the threshold and to share in a common life that is radiant with light, buoyant with hope and abounding in grace. In the Church of England now we seem to be more about closing doors than opening them, as if it were up to us to decide who gets invited and who does not”.
