Faith minister quits and tells PM to resign
Kemi Badenoch, the faith minister, was among five MPs who resigned en bloc yesterday afternoon in protest at Boris Johnson’s refusal to step down over his handling of issues including the Chris Pincher scandal. Their letter demanded the prime minister’s resignation.
Ms Badenoch, 42, MP for Saffron Walden since 2017, co-signed the letter with colleagues Neil O’Brien, Lee Rowley, Alex Burghart and Julia Lopez. They wrote: “It has become increasingly clear that the government cannot function, given the issues that have come to light and the way in which they have been handled. In good faith, we must ask that, for the good of the party and the country, you step aside.” Senior cabinet ministers, including the home secretary Priti Patel, went to Downing Street last night to urge Mr Johnson to resign but the BBC reported he was refusing.
Silence is no good, pleads North Korean escapee
A North Korean escapee has called on global ministers and religious leaders to “stand up” to defend religious freedom around the world. Timothy Cho told the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief yesterday: “I have experienced persecution, torture and crimes against humanity during my twice escaping and four times imprisoned in China and North Korea. Screaming, torture and begging to leave is still in my eyes and ears.” Read Lianne Kolirin’s report here
Australian bishops halt move to give women an active role in RC church
Moves to allow women to take an active role in running the Roman Catholic church in Australia have failed to gain support from bishops at the church’s plenary council in Sydney. Female delegates walked out in disgust as two motions affirming women’s role in the church failed to attract the required two-thirds majority for approval — despite backing from priests and laypeople, The Age reports. Shane Mackinlay, the council’s vice-president, said: “It is disappointing and a lot of people … were very distressed. It was clear our members were not ready to put this to one side and move on to other things.”
Million pilgrims join revived hajj
The largest hajj since the outbreak of the pandemic two years ago has begun, with an estimated million Muslim pilgrims converging on the holy city of Mecca and thousands expected to attend ceremonies across the UK. Officials in Saudi Arabia said they were ready to receive 850,000 Muslims from overseas for the annual ritual, which begins today. The rest will comprise “domestic” pilgrims, AP reports. After the coronavirus outbreak in 2020, only 1,000 pilgrims from Saudi were allowed to attend hajj. Pilgrims this year must be under 65, vaccinated against the virus and able to produce proof of a negative test result.
Welby and Mullally apologise over priest’s death
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London have each apologised unreservedly and promised a change in culture within the Church of England, after a review into the circumstances surrounding the suicide of Fr Alan Griffin. Bishop Sarah Mullally described the findings of the Learning Lessons Review as “heartbreaking” and Archbishop Justin Welby spoke of the importance of the church being “unflinching in confronting our mistakes and sins”. Fr Griffin became the rector of St James Garlickhythe and St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe in the City of London in 2001. He retired from the Church of England in 2011 and was re-ordained as a Catholic priest the next year. He took his own life in in November 2020 while being investigated over false allegations of child abuse. Church Times report here
Sikhs sacked over shaving rule win back their jobs
The World Sikh Organisation stepped in to save the jobs of 100 Sikh security guards who were sacked in Toronto for refusing to shave or cut their hair. The men were reinstated after the so-called “City of Toronto rule” that all security guards must be clean-shaven was overturned and exemptions for religious reasons allowed. The Sikh faith orders the retention of kes (unshorn hair), particularly in the case of amritdhari (initiated) Sikhs, for whom there are no exceptions. Report here
