The new Archdeacon of France has encouraged Anglicans to be part of the public debate in the country and to make a distinctive contribution to the communities where they serve. The Venerable Meurig Williams, during a service in Paris marking his new ministry, spoke of the challenges and opportunities for Anglicans in France, at a time when the political status quo is being questioned and the public place of religion is becoming more prominent following recent the recent deadly attacks in Paris, Nice and St Ettiene de Rouveray.
In the News
-
January 30th, 2017
-
January 30th, 2017
The Bishop of Liverpool has vowed to continue campaigning for gay marriage, days after the C of E announced it would not change its teaching following more than two years of debate.
Known for his pro-LGBT stance, Rt Rev Paul Bayes, described himself as a "bastard bishop" as he stood by a report published last week that refused to offer gay couples an official blessing in church.
-
January 30th, 2017
Norway's Lutheran Church voted on Monday in favor of new ceremonial language that will allow its pastors to conduct same-sex marriages, bringing it into line with several other mainstream Protestant denominations abroad.
Last April the annual conference of the Church - to which nearly three quarters of Norwegians said in 2015 they belonged - backed the principle of same-sex marriages, but did not agree on a wording..
Monday's decision involved modifying the marriage text to make it gender-neutral, removing the words "bride" and "groom". The new liturgy will come into effect on Wednesday.
-
January 30th, 2017
Six people have been killed and another eight wounded in a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City, Canada, police say.
Shots were fired at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre on Sunday night, where more than 50 people had gathered for evening prayers.
One suspect was arrested at the scene and another was arrested nearby. Police do not believe there are other suspects at large.
-
January 30th, 2017
The term "honour killing" should be banned because "political correctness" is putting police off investigating domestic violence, a Conservative MP has said.
Nusrat Ghani warned that police officers can be wary of intervening fully in so-called honour cases for fear of offending the community.
The MP for Wealden is proposing a Bill which will ban the term "honour killing" in official publications and strengthen the support given to women who are subjected to domestic violence and killed while abroad.
-
January 29th, 2017
Jihadist groups on Sunday celebrated the Trump administration’s ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, saying the new policy validates their claim that the United States is at war with Islam.
Comments posted to pro-Islamic State social media accounts predicted that President Trump’s executive order would persuade American Muslims to side with the extremists. One posting hailed the U.S. president as "the best caller to Islam," while others predicted that Trump would soon launch a new war in the Middle East.
-
January 29th, 2017
A Church of England judge has been forced to settle a gravestone row by ordering family members to put the name of a grandmother's second husband on the tombstone.
The sons of Susannah Cragg who died at the age of 48, paid tribute to her by adding her name to the tombstone of their father who died in 1978.
Mrs Cragg's second husband, Bill Allison also laid down a tombstone in her memory, in the same soil and has refused to budge since her sons' complained.
-
January 29th, 2017
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has given his backing to a fresh attempt to curb the powers of Sharia courts over vulnerable Muslim women.
He spoke in a debate started by Independent crossbencher and Christian Baroness Cox, who said her aim was to tackle the "suffering of women oppressed" by religiously linked gender discrimination.
She also spoke out against a "rapidly developing alternative quasi-legal system which undermines the fundamental principle of one law for all".
-
January 29th, 2017
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is facing questions after attempting to prosecute a Muslim man who was allegedly trying to prevent his brother from being radicalised by an extremist preacher.
Forhard Rahman endured six months of anguish after he was charged with malicious communications following a telephone conversation with Sheikh Khalid al-Fikri, who has praised convicted Islamist terrorists and protested against the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Rahman, 33, claimed in court documents to be concerned that al-Fikri was radicalising his brother after the death of his wife left him vulnerable and open to manipulation.
-
January 29th, 2017
A leading private school head teacher has called for teenagers to face investigation for sexting, warning that the practice of exchanging explicit images online has reached "epidemic levels" — even in primary schools.
Andrew Halls, headmaster of the £20,000-a-year King’s College School, Wimbledon, southwest London, said recent police guidance not to investigate the crime if it was committed by "consenting" youngsters should be urgently reviewed by the home secretary. The guidance was issued last year in an effort to avoid criminalising thousands of teenagers, despite the fact that possessing or sending indecent images electronically is illegal.
Halls warned that failing to investigate children for any kind of sexting "blurred boundaries" and risked leaving some children, especially girls, at risk of humiliation and intimidation.