Net Zero.. racial justice.. mental health.. What exactly are cathedrals for?
Cathedrals can light the way to Net Zero, says the Rt Rev'd Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich and the Church of England's lead Bishop for Environmental Affairs. And he set…
Peace
BBC says it’s ‘unfortunate’ the Queen is Defender of the Faith
As the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Her Majesty the Queen entered their final day, the BBC gave us a running commentary on the Platinum Pageant as it crawled along the Mall. There were buses to celebrate decades, dancers doing the…
World Council of Churches must expel the Russian Orthodox Church
What kind of Christian conscience can slaughter a young mother and her three-month-old baby one day, and pop off to church, light a candle, and praise Jesus the next? Ukrainian…
Welby blasts BBC Question Time: ‘God will judge Putin’
Justin Welby has become the first sitting Archbishop of Canterbury ever to appear on the BBC's flagship political debate programme Question Time. Perhaps his predecessors over the past 43 years…
Praying for Putin’s downfall, doom and destruction
There was a prayer for Ukraine in church on Sunday: "Lord, we pray for peace in Ukraine, and that Putin would see sense." That was it. There was no mention…
Welby and Kirill demand peace in Ukraine (but woolliness won’t stop war)
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Patriarch of Moscow have had a video conference in which they both agreed on the need for disciples of Jesus to be peacemakers, and…
The hypocrisy of the Canons of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Yesterday, the Rev'd Angela Tilby, an Emeritus Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, was blocked on Twitter by someone in the Cathedral. This wasn't the first time she had been…
Ukraine’s freedom is the price of Europe’s peace
"Who in the Lord's name does Putin think gives him a right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belonged to his neighbours?" asked President Biden yesterday, with all…
What’s wrong with appointing a Bishop for Brexit?
There's a move afoot to create a Cabinet of Bishops to shadow government departments, with the Archbishop of Canterbury presiding like a Prime Minister Spiritual, and those around him holding…
RIP Desmond Tutu – prophet, priest and archbishop to the world
Desmond Tutu was known throughout the world as a man of peace and passion; of faith and politics; of moral conscience and fiery wit. He was honoured and lauded on…
Silent Night, Holy Land
As our minds turn once again to the baby that was born in Bethlehem two millennia ago, amidst social unrest, foreign occupation, political turmoil and religious zealotry, we might reflect…
Radical progressive activism and the Church of England
Civitas have published a new report: Rotting from the Head: Radical progressive activism and the Church of England. 'Radical progressive activism' is a slippery concept, not least because not all…
One Church of England diocese has spent £500,000 on 20 Non-Disclosure Agreements
It has been disturbing to learn that victims of racism in the Church of England have had to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) before they could receive compensation which might be…
Who is the prophet in the battle of Batley Grammar?
It is a curious headline in the Times. 'Prophet' is upper case, so the assumption is that all who see it will know to whom it refers. The word isn't…
Myanmar nun offers her life to protect protesting civilians
Unarmed civilians are being arrested, tortured, or summarily shot and killed. Children are being slapped, teenagers beaten with batons, and the elderly maimed with rubber bullets. People have become police…
Welby slams EU’s anti-Christian action in implementing Article 16
Yesterday the EU unilaterally implemented Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol in order to prevent Covid vaccines leaving the EU for the UK. They did this because the UK…
Anglican spinach – a primary challenge for the Church’s mission
There was a subtitle fail in the Zoom service from Guildford Cathedral on Advent Sunday. It caused a bit of amusement on Twitter, but it presents an opportunity to explore…
UK Internal Market Bill: the Archbishops are confused, poorly advised, and wrong
The Archbishops of the United Kingdom have written a joint letter fairly and equally to all tabloids and broadsheets decrying the moral state of the nation and calling for repentance…
If the SNP’s ‘Hate’ Bill becomes law, Scots’ freedom of religion will end
The SNP's Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill is currently wending its way through the committees and procedures of the Scottish Parliament. It provides for the modernising, consolidating and…
Trump “turns holy ground into a battle ground”
He knows his base. He knows what they want, and he knows how to give it. This picture of President Trump holding up a Bible in front of a church…