Daily media briefing
Stay informed with our daily media briefing newsletter. Every weekday morning we'll bring you the most relevant news and updates related to secularism directly to your inbox.
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Tue, 26 Sep 2023
Archbishops’ Council is retraumatising us, says group of abuse survivors
Ten survivors of church-based abuse have written to the Archbishops' Council criticising their treatment after the Independent Safeguarding Board was disbanded.
Church Times*
Mike Pilavachi could face ban on working with children following DBS referral
The founder and former leader of Soul Survivor Watford has been referred to the Home Office's Disclosure and Barring Service.
Premier Christian News
Letters: C of E is failing to plan for future of establishment
"It should then offer to lay down its unsustainable inherited privileges while defending the equal public status of faith for all: a "kenotic" gesture that might even win it new support", writes Jonathan Chaplin.
Church Times*
Assisted dying: Grieving son calls for law change
James Johnson, from Hampshire, said his mother had to spend her life savings to have "control over her death".
BBC
Oxford woman who shared Islamist extremist content to serve four years in prison
Roma Iqbal, 23, shared publications online that had Islamist extremist content in them and has now been sentenced following an investigation.
Oxfordshire Live
Safe Access Zones around clinics providing lawful abortions to be introduced in Northern Ireland
Safe Access Zones around clinics providing lawful abortions will be introduced at health service locations across Northern Ireland on Friday.
ITV
Alternative Catholic synod to push case for ordination of women priests
Event organisers say it's 'crunch time' for pope as scandal and bigotry drive Church members to leave.
The Guardian
‘Robots can help issue a fatwa’: Iran’s clerics look to harness AI
Religious leaders in the holy city of Qom believe that artificial intelligence can strengthen the country's Islamic character.
Financial Times*
Audio: An unexpected battle over banning caste discrimination
A system of social hierarchy that originated in India centuries ago could soon be outlawed in California.
The New York Times*
Mon, 25 Sep 2023
Soul Survivor’s ‘spontaneous applause’ for disgraced Mike Pilavachi
Soul Survivor congregants welcomed suggestions they formally "say goodbye" to Rev Canon Mike Pilavachi despite a Church of England investigation concluding that he "used his spiritual authority to control" and abuse victims.
The Telegraph*
Charity linked to NHS chaplain being looked into by watchdog over trip to meet Taliban
A charity linked to an NHS chaplain is being looked into by the regulator after sending a delegation to meet with the Taliban.
The Telegraph*
Vicar calls on equalities watchdog to investigate ‘institutional racism’ in Church of England
A vicar who claims he was a victim of repeated racial stereotyping when applying for posts in the Church of England has called on the equalities watchdog to investigate racism within the church, The Independent can reveal.
The Independent*
Islamists are 'weaponising' claims of Islamophobia to shut down debate on hijabs, report finds
Islamists are "weaponising" claims of Islamophobia to shut down debate on head scarves and veils, a think tank has found.
The Telegraph*
Police apologise to Christian campaigner arrested after 'silently praying' outside abortion clinic
Police have apologised to a woman who was arrested after she silently prayed outside an abortion clinic.
LBC
Former Eucharistic minister jailed for 'predatory' historic sexual abuse of schoolboy to have sentence reduced
A former Eucharistic minister jailed for "predatory" historic sexual abuse of a schoolboy is to have his sentence reduced, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
The Irish News
Canada-India row puts spotlight on Sikh activism in UK
After dramatic developments in Canada, where PM Trudeau has said there is credible evidence to suggest India was involved in the killing of a Canadian Sikh, rumours now swirl around the deaths of other Sikh activists around the world, including in the UK.
BBC
The day police told us our London TV station was under attack by Iran
As an independent Iranian broadcaster reopens in Britain months after a terrorist scare, its workers are ready to run the gauntlet again
The Times*
Pope Francis’ Russia stance angers Catholics in central Europe
Pope Francis' views on Russia and its invasion of Ukraine are alienating many Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe, who believe that the pontiff is understating Russia's historic expansionism in the region and the threat it poses today.
The Wall Street Journal*
Statue of late German Cardinal will be removed after allegations of sexual abuse
A statue of late German Cardinal Franz Hengsbach will be removed from outside a cathedral in western Germany after allegations of sexual abuse against him surfaced, Catholic church officials said Friday.
Associated Press
China sentences Uyghur scholar to life in jail
A prominent Uyghur academic has been reportedly jailed for life by China for "endangering state security".
BBC
Fri, 22 Sep 2023
Archbishop of Canterbury hosts hardline Islamists for tea and cake
The Archbishop of Canterbury welcomed two controversial Muslim leaders to Lambeth Palace for tea and cake last week, including a cleric with close ties to the brutal Iranian regime.
The Jewish Chronicle
Government needs to prevent dress code imposition on Muslim women, says think tank
The government needs to take a stronger stance in preventing the imposition of dress codes on Muslim women, a think tank has said.
The Independent*
Concerns raised over Louisiana Baptist team’s past visits to Welsh school
Investigative reports by The News Movement (TNM) and ITV Cymru Wales, in the form of a documentary film, have raised concerns about what was being presented to schoolchildren during the decade of annual school visits by First West Baptist Church (FWBC), Louisiana, to Bridgend, in south Wales.
Church Times*
Imitate President Macron’s national fund for village churches, say UK charities
A UK equivalent of France's new national fund for restoring small communities' church buildings, whose creation was confirmed by President Macron last Friday, is urgently needed, charities have said this week.
Church Times*
Sion Mills Primary School celebrating transformation to integrated education status
Sion Mills Primary School in Co Tyrone has secured approval for its transformation to integrated status.
Newsletter
‘The West’s betrayal of the women of Iran’
"The morally emaciated West has failed to offer solidarity to the brave rebels against the hijab."
Spiked
Australia: ‘It was cruel’: dying patient denied euthanasia in Catholic-run hospital
"Sally wanted to die on her own terms. But despite voluntary assisted dying being legal in Victoria, her advocates say a Catholic palliative care facility obstructed access."
The Guardian
Australia: Catholic church hands police report alleging Broome bishop assaulted and groomed boys
The Catholic church has handed police a report detailing allegations of sexual assault and grooming against a former Western Australian bishop.
The Guardian
Multi-million-pound settlement in Canadian church abuse case
A settlement worth millions of pounds in the case of one of Canada's most prolific sexual abusers has been agreed with the Anglican Church of Canada and Scouts Canada.
Church Times*
Indian opposition flags ‘secular’ missing from constitution copy
Indian opposition leaders have raised concerns over crucial words missing from copies of the constitution handed to them on Tuesday as they entered a new parliament building.
Bloomberg*
Thu, 21 Sep 2023
‘Britain’s hidden blasphemy laws’ - NSS quoted
'One in seven local authorities in England has adopted the contested APPG definition. Moreover, a panoply of other, similarly problematic definitions of Islamophobia or of anti-Muslim hatred have been adopted by several English councils.'
Spiked
C of E response leaves position on mandatory reporting exceptions unclear
The Church of England safeguarding bodies' response has been given to the government consultation on mandatory reporting of child abuse — without being clear whether it supports any religious exceptions, including the seal of confession.
Church Times*
Leicester: Police appeal over tension during religious festival
Police have appealed for communities in Leicester to help them prevent tensions during a religious festival. Leicestershire Police said officers were called to reports of an unplanned procession in Belgrave Road on Monday.
BBC
Swiss parliament approves ban on full-face coverings like burqas, and sets fine for violators
The lower house of Switzerland's parliament voted Wednesday to give final legislative passage to a ban on face coverings, such as the burqas worn by some Muslim women.
Associated Press
Catholic priests bless same-sex couples in defiance of a German archbishop
Several Catholic priests held a ceremony blessing same-sex couples outside Cologne Cathedral on Wednesday night in a protest against the city's conservative archbishop, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki.
Associated Press
Iran hijab bill: Women face 10 years in jail for 'inappropriate' dress
Iran's parliament has passed a controversial bill that would increase prison terms and fines for women and girls who break its strict dress code.
BBC
TikToker jailed in Indonesia after saying Muslim prayer before eating pork
A court in Indonesia has jailed a woman for two years after she posted a TikTok video in which she said a Muslim prayer before eating pork.
Independent*
Ornate Indian Hindu temple will open on old mosque site, fulfilling Modi’s election promise
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is close to fulfilling a decade-old election promise months out from nationwide polls with the announcement that a controversial new Hindu temple will open on disputed land in January.
CNN
Torture, rape, killings in Manipur: An Indian state's brutal conflict
A sense of fear is all pervasive in Manipur since shocking violence between their community and minority Kuki groups broke out, marked by brutal killings and sexual crimes against women. More than 200 people have been killed, roughly two-thirds of them Kukis, a collective name for the Kuki, Zomi, Chin, Hmar and Mizo tribes who are mostly Christians.
BBC
Women who say they were abused by a onetime Jesuit artist denounce an apparent rehabilitation effort
Women who say they were abused by a once-prominent Jesuit artist said Tuesday they had been revictimized by his superiors, saying Pope Francis' recent gestures and an apparent effort to exonerate him publicly showed church pledges of "zero tolerance" were just a "publicity stunt."
Associated Press
Wed, 20 Sep 2023
'Mandatory Reporting versus the Seal of the Confessional'
"The idea that the seal of the confessional is sanctified and justified by centuries of tradition entirely misses the point. Clerical sex abuse of children has been going on for centuries too, but has only recently been exposed. Its exposure means that centuries of tradition are no longer a reliable guide to future action."
Surviving Church
Evangelical organisation to review its links with Pilavachi after attempt to distance itself fails
Evangelical organisation New Wine announced on Tuesday that a "full and independent review" into its relationship with Mike Pilavachi and Soul Survivor would be carried out. The announcement follows criticism of earlier statements by the network, which were said to minimise the relationship.
Church Times*
Islamic leaders bash West at UN over Quran burnings
Muslim leaders addressing the United Nations on Tuesday berated the West over burnings of the Quran, denouncing the acts protected as free speech as discriminatory.
France24
Catholic Church investigates claims against late cardinal
German Cardinal Franz Hengsbach is accused of having sexually abused three individuals in the 1950s and 60s. Victims groups want to know if Pope Benedict was involved in quashing an investigation a decade ago.
Deutsche Welle
Minnesota professor dismissed over showing Islamic art can proceed with lawsuit, judge rules
A former Hamline University adjunct art professor can proceed with her lawsuit against the private Minnesota school but only on the basis of religious discrimination, a federal judge has ruled.
Associated Press
Vatican under pressure to release report detailing Australian bishop’s sexual misconduct allegations
Police say they are considering a criminal investigation into a West Australian Catholic bishop accused of sexual misconduct, in light of a leaked Vatican report that levels serious allegations against him.
ABC News
Twitter should answer to Queensland authorities over Islamophobic tweets by an American, tribunal hears
Queensland authorities should be able to hold X responsible for the Islamophobic tweets of an American white supremacist because they were downloaded in the state and caused harm to local Muslims, a tribunal has heard.
The Guardian
In Chile, justice eludes victims of Catholic clergy sex abuse years after the crisis exploded
Hundreds of Chileans have in recent years distanced themselves from the Catholic Church as victims of sexual abuse by priests have come forward. The cases have shaken the Vatican itself and marred Pope Francis' trip to Chile in 2018. Instead of applause, he was greeted with unprecedented protests against a papal visit.
Associated Press
Canada killing adds to suspicions of Indian crackdown on Sikh separatists
On Monday, Justin Trudeau alleged there was "credible evidence" that the Indian government was behind the assassination of Nijjar, an explosive accusation that torpedoed already frayed diplomatic relations between India and Canada. India called the allegation "absurd" and both sides expelled senior diplomats in response.
The Guardian
Mental health among Afghan women deteriorating across the country, UN report finds
The mental health of Afghan women, who have suffered under harsh measures imposed by the Taliban since taking power two years ago, has deteriorated across the country, according to a joint report from three U.N. agencies released Tuesday.
Associated Press
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