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Wed, 01 Aug 2018
Bishops criticise north-south wealth divide in C of E
Two bishops have criticised the divide in wealth between prosperous southern Church of England dioceses and relatively poor northern ones.
The Times (£)
‘Abortion pills are safe and simple’
Ann Furedi says the government should allow women in England to take abortion pills at home.
Spiked Online
NGO urges human rights watchdog to investigate Labour party
The NGO Campaign Against Antisemitism has urged the UK's human rights watchdog to investigate the Labour Party over Jeremy Corbyn's handling of the antisemitism row.
The Independent
What's the anti-Semitism row doing to Labour?
As claims of anti-Semitism in the Labour party mount, Ben Wright has a guide to what has happened and some of the reactions to it.
BBC
Sectarian attack on Catholic church in NI
Politicians in Northern Ireland have condemned a sectarian attack that saw a Catholic church daubed with paramilitary graffiti.
The Irish Post
India cracking down on cattle trade
A recent tightening of 'cow protection' laws in India has been criticised as anti-Muslim.
The Independent
Australian government could strike ‘special deal’ with Catholic schools over funding
Independent school leaders in Australia have expressed alarm that the government is preparing to "appease" the Catholic sector at their expense.
The Guardian
US brewery withdraws beer label after Hindu leader called it “inappropriate”
Springfield Brewing Company, which is based in Missouri, has withdrawn a beer label carrying an image of the Hindu deity Ganesha from its website after a professionally offended Hindu complained about it.
Springfield News-Leader
Girl who was raped by brother jailed for abortion in Indonesia
Indonesian activists have filed an official complaint against three judges in Sumatra who sentenced a teenage girl to six months in prison for having an illegal abortion after she was repeatedly raped by her brother.
The Guardian
Indonesian court disbands Islamic State-linked group
An Indonesian court has disbanded the country's largest Islamic State-linked group, Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), for "conducting terrorism" and affiliating itself with the foreign militant organisation.
Reuters
Tue, 31 Jul 2018
Public supports reform of Thought for the Day – NSS extensively quoted
The public backs reform of Radio 4's Thought For The Day so that it no longer features only religious voices, according to research. The NSS has responded by writing to the BBC to urge reform of the slot.
The Herald
Women in England 'illegally buying abortion pill online'
Women in England are illegally buying the abortion pill over the internet because they cannot get to clinics to take it, the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme has been told.
BBC
Top Catholic school faces possible closure if it fails to improve standards
Ampleforth College, one of the country's top Catholic schools, faces possible closure if it does not improve standards including the safeguarding of pupils and the rigour of its checks on staff.
The Tablet
Religious groups wary of Supreme Court ruling on end-of-life care
The Supreme Court has ruled that judges will no longer need to be consulted when doctors and relatives of patients in a vegetative state agree life-support treatment should end. A Christian charity has criticised the ruling. Elsewhere the Board of Deputies of British Jews has said it "will look at the judges' ruling in detail to understand its full implications".
Premier Christian Radio
Prevent critics exploiting “lack of information” about strategy in Manchester, report finds
A report has found that the Prevent strategy is "working well" in Greater Manchester but a "lack of information" about it is allowing the spread of malicious misinformation about its aims and nature.
Mail Online
UK couple jailed after trying to force daughter to marry
A couple who tricked their teenage daughter into travelling to Bangladesh in an attempt to force her to marry her first cousin have been jailed.
The Guardian
Christian school head's perfection policy left pupils suicidal, says report
The head teacher of a Church of England grammar school in south east London left pupils feeling suicidal with a "constant emphasis" on perfect exam results, a report has found.
Premier Christian Radio
Jewish community expands base on Canvey Island in Essex
Canvey Island's Jewish community is set to expand its base further by building a block of flats for teachers and staff at a local faith school. The minister for faith has claimed the island sets a good example of community integration.
Basildon, Canvey & Southend Echo
Prominent US Catholic cardinal resigns over sexual abuse claim
One of America's most prominent Catholic cardinals has resigned after an allegation was made that he sexually abused a teenage boy almost 50 years ago.
The Telegraph
Irish bishops say Catholic hospitals cannot perform abortions
A conference of Irish bishops has published a new code of healthcare ethics restating that Catholic hospitals cannot perform direct abortions.
Catholic Herald
Sessions announces 'religious liberty task force'
US attorney general Jeff Sessions has announced that the Department of Justice which he leads is creating a "religious liberty task force". Sessions claimed the cultural climate in the US and the West generally has left people feeling their freedom to practice their faith has been under attack.
The Hill
Trump administration says it won’t “press” African countries to repeal anti-LGBT laws
An official has confirmed that the Trump administration will not be "pressing" African nations to repeal their anti-LGBT+ laws.
Gay Times
Mon, 30 Jul 2018
Rights body criticises UK government over caste – NSS quoted
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has criticised the government's decision to drop plans to recognise caste as an aspect of race in anti-discrimination legislation. NSS chief executive Stephen Evans has called on the government to take heed of the criticism.
The Hindu
C of E bishops turn on each other over Lord Carey’s role in abuse scandal
Church of England bishops are turning on each other after the lead figure on safeguarding was locked out of discussions about a former archbishop accused of covering up child sexual abuse.
The Telegraph
‘Peter Ball: the sinful bishop and a very English cover-up’
Sean O'Neill says the abusive bishop Peter Ball escaped justice for decades, at a terrible cost to his young victims, thanks to his many establishment friends.
The Times (£)
Prince Charles rued 'monstrous wrongs' against bishop later convicted of abuse
Prince Charles told Peter Ball "monstrous wrongs" had been done to the disgraced bishop and he wished he could do more to help, the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse has heard.
The Guardian
Cutting newborn babies’ genitals increases risk of cot death, study finds
Circumcising newborn boys increases their risk of cot death, new research from the University of Sheffield suggests.
Mail Online
‘The choice of assisted death makes great demands on those closest to you’
Nick Cohen reflects on the death of his friend Nyta Mann and says parliament will not be able to withstand the pressure from the public to make assisted suicide legal for long.
The Observer
Christian Institute threatens to challenge plan to outlaw homophobic teachings in schools
The Christian Institute has threatened to challenge the government over guidance that bans homophobic teachings in schools.
Pink News
Scottish Labour equalities spokeswoman under fire over link to 'gay cure' row charity
Scottish Labour's equalities chief Rhoda Grant has been criticised for her involvement with a Christian charity that funded a conference which promoted a so-called "gay cure".
Sunday Herald
Four million risk losing India citizenship – activists suspect Muslims are being targeted
India has published a list which effectively strips some four million people in the north-eastern state of Assam of their citizenship. Activists say the National Register of Citizens is being used as a pretext for an attack on the state's legitimate Bengali community, a large portion of whom are Muslims.
BBC
‘This ultra-conservative institute has infiltrated the Polish state, on a relentless quest to ban abortion’
Ordo luris is an extreme anti-choice group whose founders were 'inspired' by a controversial Catholic fundamentalist network. Lidia Kurasinska asks how it has gained so much political power.
Open Democracy
Falkland Islands votes in favour of assisted dying
The Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands has voted to support a motion that terminally ill residents should have the right to die at a time and place of their choosing, subject to robust legislation and safeguards. Dignity in Dying says this has shown it to be "a compassionate, sensible and progressive society".
Politics Home
Triple stabbing at Chile abortion rights rally sparks outcry
Human rights activists in Chile have expressed shock and concern after masked attackers stabbed three women at a protest in favour of free and legal abortion. No suspects have been arrested, but participants in the march argue that anti-abortion radicals are responsible.
The Guardian
Fri, 27 Jul 2018
Ofsted chief opposes faith-based exemptions on LGBT teaching
The head of Ofsted has said she remains firmly opposed to any "carve-outs" for faith groups from regulatory requirements for schools, including exemptions which would enable faith schools to avoid mentioning same-sex relations in class.
The JC
Peter Ball abuse inquiry: Caution for bishop 'was wrong'
A decision to only caution a bishop for gross indecency following allegations of sexual abuse was wrong, a prosecutor has told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
BBC
Lambeth Palace should have given police its evidence against Ball, says former detective
A detective who conducted an inquiry into an abusive bishop in the 1990s has told the IICSA inquiry that the C of E knew an "awful lot" about it but withheld information.
Church Times
London coroner to open out-of-hours service provision in line with Jewish groups’ requests
A coroner's service in north London is to provide an evening and weekend provision for dealing with urgent matters, in a move heralded by a large Jewish burial society.
Jewish News
Jewish groups place more pressure on ‘cab rank’ coroner after neighbour’s decision
Jewish groups are placing more pressure on the inner north London coroner Mary Hassell after her neighbouring coroner's decision to provide an out-of-hours service.
The JC
Most believe religion is peaceful but causes war, survey suggests
Six out of every ten people think faith teachings are essentially peaceful but seven out of ten believe most of the wars in world history were caused by religions, a new survey for the think tank Theos suggests.
Church Times
How Catholic bishops are shaping health care in rural America
Data shows that in a growing number of communities around the US, especially in rural areas, patients and physicians have access to just one hospital. And in more and more places, that hospital is Catholic.
FiveThirtyEight
‘The Catholic contraceptive ban has caused immense, avoidable suffering’
It is 50 years since Pope Paul VI restated the Catholic church's ban on artificial contraception. This editorial says he destroyed the authority of his office and the lives of millions of women.
The Guardian
China is 're-educating' Muslims in mass detention camps
Extensive reporting by international media and human rights groups indicates upwards of hundreds of thousands of Uighurs — a Muslim-minority ethnic group — have been detained in sprawling "re-education" centres in the far-western Xinjiang region of China.
ABC News (Australia)
Death of 10-year-old girl prompts first FGM prosecution in Somalia's history
Somalia's attorney general has announced the nation's first prosecution for female genital mutilation after a 10-year-old girl bled to death following a traditional cutting last week.
The Guardian
‘Israel's Jewish nationalist identity is outweighing its democratic one’
Critics of Israel's government say its new 'Jewish nation-state' law is indicative of its efforts to make Israel less democratic and more illiberal.
The Economist
Religious decline was the key to economic development in the 20th century
Research shows that secularisation occurs before economic development and a respect for individual rights separates rich countries from poor ones.
The Conversation (US)
Thu, 26 Jul 2018
Prince Charles aide asked police about “embarrassing” material on paedophile bishop
An aide to the Prince of Wales contacted police in 2013 to ask about "embarrassing" material it may have collected during an investigation into a paedophile bishop, the independent child sex abuse inquiry has heard.
The Telegraph
‘Criticising Muslims doesn’t make you a racist’
David Aaronovitch says activists who have denounced Rotherham's MP are trying to shut down debate about real problems in their community, and "no one wins but the extremists".
The Times (£)
Man was threatened with legal action when he raised clerical abuse in Hull, trial hears
A man who claims he was indecently assaulted by a Church of England priest was threatened with "legal action" and "prison" after he reported it to the then bishop of Hull, a court has heard. The court also heard that the bishop knew of an abuse allegation 20 years ago.
Hull Live
Scottish government looks at protecting patients at abortion clinics
The Scottish government is looking at potential measures to protect patients and staff using abortion facilities amid growing concerns over "intimidating" protests.
The Scotsman
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