King to attend first Catholic funeral by a monarch in Britain since the reformation
The King will attend the Catholic funeral of the Duchess of Kent, who has died aged 92, becoming the first monarch to be present at a Catholic funeral in Britain in an official capacity since the Reformation. The funeral will be held at Westminster Cathedral on 16 September, and the King will be joined by the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and most members of the royal family. Journalist and author Catherine Pepinster told the Sunday Times: “The funeral will be of great historical significance. There were signs of rapprochement between the monarchy and the Catholic Church under Elizabeth II — she met many popes — but was careful not to attend a Catholic Mass in this country. The King and the heir to the throne attending Mass in Britain — that is of an entirely different order. This is a huge step forward in ecumenical relations.” The Duchess of Kent, married to Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, converted to Catholicism in 1994, the first member of the royal family to do so since King Charles II in 1685. She stepped back from royal duties in 1996, volunteering at The Passage for homeless people, beside Westmiinster Cathedral, and taught the piano to schoolchildren in Hull and London, incognito. Lord Nicholas Windsor, the duchess’s youngest son is a Catholic convert and the Earl of St Andrews, her oldest son is married to Sylvana Tomaselli, a Catholic. Sunday Times article here
Faith minister Lord Khan has left the government
The Faith Minister, Lord Khan, has lost his job in the government re-shuffle, caused after the resignation of Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner. He was in post for 14 months, appointed on 9 July 2024. In a post on Twitter/X, he said: “It’s been an honour and a privilege that I have served as the Faith, Communities & Resettlement minister. In unsettled times I’ve met so many dedicated individuals inspired by their faith to serve others and in turn, make our country stronger. Thank you for all you do.” There were warm tributes to him on Twitter/X from Hannah Rich, Director of Christians on the Left; Katie Freeman, chair of NATRE; Jack Palmer White of Church Works; and Andrew Gilbert, vice president of the Board of Deputies. Lord Khan followed Baroness Scott of Baybrook (in office for 21 months), Kemi Badenoch (10 months), Lord Greenhalgh (28 months), Viscount Younger of Leckie (7 months), The Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (3 years), and Eric Pickles (8 months). That’s seven faith ministers in ten years including a 15 month gap when the role was vacant. So far, Lord Khan’s replacement has not been announced.
Faith at the core: Shabana Mahmood becomes first Muslim to hold great office of State
Shabana Mahmood’s appointment as Home Secretary — the first Muslim to hold a great office of state — has been greeted with both optimism and Islamophobic abuse. In an interview with The Times last October, she said: “My faith is the core of who I am. It is the part of me that remains when all else is gone. I would see it as the central truth of who I am as a person. It shapes my life and my views and how I think about the world and my role and my place in it.” Last year, she said she would vote against the Assisted Dying Bill which prompted Lord Charlie Falconer to say her religious views should not be imposed on anyone else. At the last election, she faced criticism from the Muslim community in her constituency over Gaza and beat the pro-Palestine and independent candidate by 3,500 votes. The Guardian reports that she now confronts a demanding agenda in the Home Office.
Muslim Council of Britain slams Angela Rayner’s record after resignation
The Muslim Council of Britain has issued a statement criticising Angela Rayner’s record. It says: “Angela Rayner’s short tenure as Communities Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister has been underwhelming. We have seen slow movement on housing reform, a lacklustre response to last summer’s riots, and a rejection of the widely accepted APPG definition of Islamophobia replaced instead with a confusing and drawn-out MHCLG-led consultation. For the Muslim Council of Britain, this is especially disappointing. As Deputy Leader of the Opposition in 2022, Angela Rayner was happy to meet us. Yet, as Deputy Prime Minister in 2025, she chose to parrot the same non-substantive non-engagement lines used by the Conservatives against the MCB throwing Britain’s largest Muslim umbrella body under the bus. It is little wonder that trust in politicians remains so low across all communities.”
Runners and riders in the Archbishop of Canterbury race
The Crown Nominations Commission is to hold its final meeting this month, where it will decide on the person to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Interviews were held over the summer with short listed candidates. The procedure is long and secret, but there is widespread speculation – and betting – on the likely outcome. The Sunday programme on BBC Radio 4, asked the Church Times senior writer Madeleine Davies to guide listeners through the most talked about candidates. Her list was: The Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson Wilkin; The Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow; The Bishop of Salisbury, Stephen Lake; The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, Joanne Grenfell; The Bishop of Bath and Wells, Michael Beasley; The Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehquani; The Bshop of London, Sarah Mullally.
Pope canonises two young saints, including first millennial
The Pope has canonised two young men in a ceremony at the Vatican. They are Pier Giorgio Frassati, an Italian Catholic social activist for the poor who died aged 24 in 1925, and Carlo Acutis, a London born teenager promoting faith on the internet, who died aged just 15 in 2006. They were declared as Saints in a Mass where the Pope spoke warmly of their gift of wisdom and actions to “bring others to God”, when they were young, which he said was an example to follow. He said Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati’s life was “a beacon for lay spirituality” and of Saint Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint, he said: “He grew up naturally integrating prayer, sport, study and charity into his days as a child and young man.” Vatican News report here
YouGov survey suggests 21 per cent of British public hold antisemitic views
A YouGov survey, commissioned by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, suggests that 21 per cent of the British public hold antisemitic views, affirming four or more antisemitic statements, compared to 16 per cent in 2024 and 11 per cent in 2021. The online survey of 2,245 adults found 45 per cent believe Israel treats the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews, which the CAA says is an antisemitic trope trivialising the Holocaust. Among young people, the figure is 60 per cent and in addition, only 31 per cent of young voters agree that Israel has a right to exist as a homeland for the Jewish people, and 58 per cent of young people believe that Israel and its supporters are a bad influence on democracy. In a statement, the CAA says: “Bearing in mind that the overwhelming majority of British Jews identify as Zionists and with the Jewish state, these attitudes among young Britons have enormous implications for young Jews on campus, on social media and starting out in the workplace.”
Jewish community in Scotland ‘endangered’ by government statement on Israel
Scotland Against Antisemitism has delivered an open letter to First Minister John Swinney, warning that the Scottish Government’s recent announcement on Israel risks inflaming antisemitism and further endangering Scotland’s Jewish community. Mr Sweeney told the Scottish parliament last week that public money to arms companies supplying Israel, will be paused. He said there is “plausible evidence” that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The letter says there are 5,000 Jews in Scotland, who are an “increasingly vulnerable community living in an extraordinarily hostile environment”. It continues: “The accusation of genocide is one of the gravest under international law. It requires an exceptional standard of proof that can only be met in a court of law by producing irrefutable evidence of intent… For the Scottish Government to endorse this modern-day blood libel will not save a single innocent life in Gaza, but it will embolden those who now use the language of genocide to justify the harassment and intimidation of Jews here in Scotland”.
Northampton Imam charged over teenage ‘marriage‘
The Imam of the Central Mosque in Northampton has been charged under forced marriage legislation, with illegally allowing two children to marry each other. Imam Ashraf Osmani, 52, of Abington Avenue, Northampton, will appear at Northampton Magistrates Court on Thursday 11 September. Northamptonshire Police say: “It is alleged Osmani conducted a Nikah marriage ceremony, a traditional Islamic marriage ceremony, involving two 16-year-old children at the Central Mosque Northampton, where he is the senior Muslim cleric. The ceremony took place in Northampton Central Mosque in Abington Avenue. He will appear before Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 11 September.
