March 17, 2011

Churches want US nukes removed from Europe

by Jan Harris

The World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches have jointly written to NATO calling for all US nuclear weapons on European soil to be removed. The weapons were located in Europe during the Cold War and with around 200 of them still stationed in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Turkey, the […]



March 16, 2011

Vatican launches social networking pages for beatification

by Jan Harris

The Vatican continues its preparations for the beatification of Pope John Paul II with the launch of pages dedicated to the pontiff on Facebook and YouTube. The pages will link to video highlights of Pope John Paul II’s papacy in an effort to increase coverage of the beatification and also to create a sense of […]



March 15, 2011

UK’s foreign policy labelled anti-Christian

by Jan Harris

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, has accused William Hague of pursuing an “anti-Christian” foreign policy after overseas aid to Pakistan was doubled to more than £445 million. With the persecution of Christians increasing around the world, Cardinal O’Brien is calling on Mr Hague to provide aid to foreign governments only […]



March 14, 2011

Christian groups divided over discrimination claims

by Jan Harris

The refusal of a Christian couple’s application to foster a child is dividing church groups. Pentecostal Christians Eunice and Owen Johns were turned down as foster parents because they were not willing to tell a child that homosexuality was an acceptable lifestyle. While the couple felt that the law should protect their Christian values, the […]



March 11, 2011

Death penalty abolished in Illinois

by Jan Harris

On 1 July Illinois will become the 16th US state to abolish the death penalty. On Wednesday the state’s Democratic Governor, Pat Quinn, signed into law a bill ending capital punishment, finally taking what he called “the most difficult decision I’ve made as governor”. The Governor also commuted the sentences of the 15 prisoners on […]



March 10, 2011

Charities want savings plan for children in care

by Jan Harris

Children’s charities are campaigning for the government to ensure that children have access to savings when they leave the care system. Following the Government’s decision to scrap the child trust fund (CTF), Barnardo’s and Action for Children have jointly launched a report entitled ‘On our own two feet’. The CTF ISA savings account was abolished […]



BBC presenter claims God had a wife

by Jan Harris

BBC2’s new three-part series, The Bible’s Buried Secrets, is to be presented by an atheist who believes God had a wife – a fertility goddess named Asherah. Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou also believes that depicting Eve as a troublesome wife does her an injustice and claims that Eve was not the first woman as the story […]



March 8, 2011

Sulak Sivaraksa wins Niwano Peace Prize

by Jan Harris

Buddhist leader Sulak Sivaraksa of Thailand has been awarded the Niwano Peace Foundation’s 2011 Peace Prize for his contribution to a new understanding of peace, democracy and development. The award also recognises his work as an advocate for the environment. At an award ceremony in Tokyo on May 19, Sulak will receive a medal and […]



March 7, 2011

Poppy-burning man fined £50

by Jan Harris

A member of Muslims Against Crusades (MAC) has been found guilty of an offence under the Public Order Act, after he burned large, imitation poppies during a two-minute silence on Armistice Day. MAC members also chanted “British soldiers burn in hell” in protest against the war in Afghanistan, during the two-minute silence outside the Royal […]



March 4, 2011

Pope says Jews not to blame for Christ’s crucifixion

by Jan Harris

Extracts of Pope Benedict’s forthcoming book have been published which reject the idea of collective Jewish guilt for Jesus Christ’s death. The idea of Jews as “Christ Killers” has fostered prejudice and hostility towards the Jews for centuries. The Pope’s book supports the Catholic Church’s earlier repudiation of the idea that the Jewish people are […]



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