Compassion

CofE brexit prayer together peoples vote

Bemused by Brexit? Come to church for tea and prayer – unless your vicar is a Remainer

At this moment of national crisis and international humiliation (which it is), the Church of England is encouraging people to come to church to be 'Together' for a cup of tea and prayer (not necessarily in that order). This is…

Channel migrants: the greatest kindness we can show is to send them straight back to France

January 2, 2019
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The Bishop of Dover the Rt Rev'd Trevor Willmott has called for a kind and compassionate response to the Channel migrants – those from Iran or Iraq who are desperately…

Curate’s egg or Archbishop’s omelette? Welby tells TUC: gig economy is “reincarnation of an ancient evil”

September 13, 2018
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Justin Welby delivered a speech to the TUC, which went down well in one quarter, and not so well in five eighths, most of whom were irked that he delivered…

Jimmy Carter acts justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly with his God

August 19, 2018
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He was President of the United States when Charlie flirted with Angels, Starsky tore around with Hutch, and Steve Austin cost $6million ($33million in today's bionics). He's mostly remembered for…

John Smyth dies – just as the CPS gives police go-ahead for his extradition and prosecution

August 12, 2018
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John Smyth, who was accused of the sadistic beatings of young men under the guise of Christian discipleship, has died at his home in Cape Town. This brings to an…

Manchester suicide bomber rescued by Navy? Yes, it’s the price we pay for being Christian

July 31, 2018
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"The Manchester suicide bomber was rescued by the Navy from war-torn Libya three years before his pop concert atrocity, the Mail reveals today." It's a great opening line for an…

What if Alfie Evans had been named Ahmed Edris, and the flight were to Mecca, not Rome?

April 26, 2018
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An awful lot has been written about the tragic case of Alfie Evans; so much, in fact, that there is absolutely no desire at all to add to the mountain…

Windrush children: Home Office defames Conservatives, dismays Christians and shames the nation

April 16, 2018
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61-year-old Paulette Wilson (top centre) came to the UK at the age of 10 with her parents. She had sailed all the way from Jamaica aboard HMT Empire Windrush, a…

Anti-prayer ‘safe zones’ around abortion clinics are a threat to civil liberties

April 11, 2018
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Women who want an abortion will no longer be harassed by zealous pro-life protestors outside the Marie Stopes clinic in Ealing. No longer will they be bludgeoned with choruses of…

Pope Francis: “There is no hell; there is the disappearance of sinful souls”

April 2, 2018
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In the continuing assessment of whether or not the Pope is Catholic, the latest doctrinal confusion comes (again) from a statement reported by Eugenio Scalfari in La Repubblica. When asked…

Banning beggars and fining the homeless: why do clergy only condemn Tory-run councils?

March 18, 2018
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Three women have been given a community protection warning (CPW), prohibiting them from begging outside the Hounslow Jamia Masjid & Islamic Centre. Cllr Hanif Khan said: "These individuals were specifically…

Labour MP’s campaign for the stillborn to be recognised by the State raises a few awkward questions about abortion

February 7, 2018
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When Labour MP Sharon Hodgson rose to deliver her contribution to the debate on the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Bill, the House was sparsely attended, but all…

Accepting more child refugees from Calais prolongs the heartache of those already in care

January 24, 2018
154 Comments

It appears that the perfidious French have ‘got one over on us’ again. Prime Minister Theresa May has agreed with President Macron to pay additional monies to assist the control…

Safeguarding: why is the Church of England’s institutional compassion so constipated?

November 21, 2017
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This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired child protection lawyer. _______ A few weeks ago I wrote about the way in which the Church of England had…

“I need a friendly bishop,” said the child abuse survivor, as the prelate passed by on the other side

October 22, 2017
228 Comments

This is a guest post by Martin Sewell, a retired Child Protection Lawyer. _____ Two years ago, Archbishop John Sentamu gave one of those sermons which you know you will…

Filial Correction: laity who are more Catholic than the Pope

September 27, 2017
408 Comments

The Pope of Rome hath erred. So, of course, hath the Pope of Alexandria, the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church, and we mustn't forget the Pope of the Christian Palmarian…

The knives are out for Labour Leave and Socialist Brexiteers

September 3, 2017
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Giles Fraser sends out a tweet: 'Poorest will gain most under Brexit, says Labour report'. And the derision poured forth: ...report by rabid Brexit supporters. As rabid a Brexiteer as…

Diana: queen of people’s hearts and the nation’s near-death experience

August 31, 2017
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It was 20 years ago today that the world awoke to the news that Diana, Princess of Wales, had been killed in a car crash beneath the Pont de l'Alma…

Hurricane Harvey and the $50m mega-church pastor who wouldn’t shelter flood victims

August 30, 2017
166 Comments

Texan mega-church pastor Joel Osteen is reputedly worth $50million. That's his personal wealth. He leads a church of some 16,000 (ie a 'mega-church') which gathers in the Lakewood Church, Houston,…

The compassionate origins of Tory transgender self-identification proposals

July 31, 2017
468 Comments

"Maria Miller gathers up her handbag and makes to leave: 'I don’t think I’m happy about this. I think I’ve finished... I didn’t realise this was such a stitch-up'", the…