The bishop with responsibility for migrants, Patrick Lynch, was among the many faith leaders to sign a letter to The Times this week calling on the Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the US President, Barack Obama, to do more for Syrian refugees. The signatories, who included the Anglican Archbishop of Wales, Barry Morgan, as well as leaders of the Muslim and Jewish communities, acknowledged that welcoming the stranger takes courage. But they said that doing so outweighed the challenges, and pledged to mobilise their faith communities to support refugees in the United Kingdom and United States. The letter came as the Home Office confirmed that the UK would take in up to 3,000 vulnerable child refugees from camps in the Middle East and North Africa, in addition to the 20,000 Syrians it has previously pledged to take.
Catholic agencies for overseas development, Sciaf and Cafod, welcomed the signing of a new climate change agreement at the UN this week. The agreement, which was reached at the climate change summit in Paris last December, commits governments to limit the global temperature rise to well below two degrees centigrade. Sciaf’s director, Alistair Dutton, said he hoped that climate justice would be a priority for the next Scottish Government after its election in May.
The Archbishop of Southwark, Peter Smith, has written to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, “expressing concern about some aspects of the Trade Union Bill” making its way through the Commons.
In a letter to Sajid Javid MP (above), Archbishop Smith drew attention to the proposed thresholds for strike action, legislative changes that will affect the funding of the main opposition party and the intended prohibition of trade union subscriptions deducted from public sector wages. After receiving a response from Nick Boles MP on behalf of Mr Javid, Archbishop Smith said: “I am pleased that I received a courteous and constructive response from the minister to my letter. More importantly, members of the House of Lords gave serious consideration to some of the concerns which we and others had raised, and the Government has now agreed some important changes. I hope that, now the bill is shortly returning to the House of Commons, elected members will give these concerns the same consideration.” To read the full correspondence visit www.thetablet.co.uk.
Welsh row resolved
A long-running row over the demolition of a church in Aberystwyth in Wales looks set to be resolved after Bishop Tom Burns announced the location of its replacement.
Parishioners have fought the closure of St Winefride’s church for four years – ever since it was closed for health and safety reasons – and said that the proposed replacement site in Penparcau was not suitable because it was too far away.
In a letter this week Bishop Burns confirmed that the new church would open in Penparcau, on the site of the Welsh Martyrs church, which would be fully refurbished and open by Christmas. The parish owns other properties in the area, but cannot afford to renovate them – refurbishment of the Welsh Martyrs will be funded by a diocesan loan.
The letter made little reference to the battle that has gone on between the Church and campaigners, who even went so far as to pay for surveyors to disprove the diocese’s claims that St Winefride’s was unsound. Bishop Burns said only that he hoped work on the new church could go ahead without the delays, diversions and other tactics that had “bedevilled” the last six years.
May at midday, the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He will succeed Bishop John Hine and join Bishop Patrick Lynch and Bishop Paul Hendricks as Southwark auxiliaries. Bishop-elect Mason said he experienced “a seismic shift” when the nuncio, Archbishop Mennini, handed him the letter informing him of his new position. “Southwark is a wonderful diocese with great energy and diversity where the priests are not only very supportive but also a delight to work with,” he said.
New Hall, an independent Catholic school in Essex, has become the first to open a Good Hope cafe in memory of murdered Catholic schoolboy Jimmy Mizen (above). Good Hope cafes – three of which have opened across London – help to train and provide work for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Profits from the cafe will be donated to For Jimmy, the charity established by Jimmy Mizen’s family after he was killed near his home in south-east London the day after his sixteenth birthday.
Abuse trial opens
The trial of five former staff members at a school run by the Christian Brothers religious order who are accused of abusing dozens of boys over three decades has begun hearing evidence.
John Farrell, 73, Paul Kelly, 63, Edward Egan, 78, Michael Murphy, 76, and William Don, 61, are charged with 121 counts of physical and sexual abuse against pupils at St Ninian’s School in Falkland, Fife, between 1967 and 1983. They deny all the charges.
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