Covid-19 can be the catalyst to fight climate change
By Tim Wyatt, 21 May 2020 Faith groups must not miss the opportunity to spur the world to use the Covid-19 crisis as a catalyst to tackle climate change. That message came loud and clear from activists and experts during a Religion Media Centre online panel discussion today. Early signs were that the pandemic would […]
Religion News 21 May
The Templeton prize for faith inspiring science has been won this year by the American scientist Francis Collins, who led the human genome project and is now working on a coronavirus vaccine. He is the director of the National Institutes of Health in the United States and a Christian of 43 years standing. The prize […]
‘These are dangerous places’: the deadly risk of returning to normal worship
By Andrew Brown, 20 May 2020 In contrast to the caution of the British government and churches, lockdowns are easing all over the world to allow people back to their places of worship under variously strict conditions. Israel allowed synagogues to reopen yesterday at half capacity, subject to social distancing rules. Greeks returned to their […]
Religion news 20 May
British Muslims are being urged to stay away from parks this weekend as they celebrate Eid – the end of Ramadan. Traditionally marked with congregational prayers in mosques and parks followed by parties with families and friends, “Eid is the time of the Coronavirus will look markedly different”, according to the Muslim Council of Britain. […]
Places of worship closed painfully quickly . . . and their reopening will be a slow process
By Tim Maby, 19 May 2020 Closing places of worship was carried out swiftly and often painfully, according to Jo Grose, the director of communities and strategy for the United Synagogue. Reopening, she said, would be more drawn out and complex and decisions would depend on the profiles of individual communities. She was speaking in […]
Faith groups call for safe and swift return to school
by Lianne Kolirin, 19 May 2020 Religious educators have backed government calls for a gradual return to school from next month for the sake of young people’s wellbeing. The negative impact of keeping children at home indefinitely could outweigh the risk of spreading the coronavirus, some have warned, as the debate about when schools should […]
Religion news 19 May
In France, Roman Catholics gathered for their first mass in weeks on Sunday – from the safety of their cars. Around 500 people packed into about 200 cars parked up at least a metre apart outside the main exhibition hall in Chalons-en-Champagne, according to AFP. Strict rules were in place which meant cars were checked […]
Religion news 18 May
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has warned that returning to austerity after coronavirus would be ‘catastrophic and a terrible mistake’. He was speaking in a BBC interview ahead of mental health awareness week and told of his own struggles with anxiety and depression. He urged the government to invest in mental health services and […]
Vatican’s Covid-19 commission to build on the work of Laudato Si
By Rosie Dawson The Roman Catholic Church is marking the fifth anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si with nine days of events, as organisers say the Covid-19 crisis has made its message more urgent than ever. On 3 March, the Pope announced Laudato Si Week would run from […]
Religion news 15 May
The Oasis Academy Trust, which runs 52 schools in England, says all their schools will open on June 1st. Founded by Baptist minister, Rev Steve Chalke, the Trust says its ethos of inclusivity and equality are based on Christian values, but these beliefs are not imposed. In an interview for the BBC Today programme, Steve […]
