News Briefing: from Britain and Ireland

The Bishop of East Anglia, Alan Hopes, has paid tribute to the work of the Catholic seafarers’ charity, Apostleship of the Sea (AoS). Bishop Hopes (pictured above with AoS port chaplain, Sr Marian Davey, and AoS ship visitor, Julian Wong) asked the congregation to pray for seafarers as he celebrated the first diocesan Mass for the Feast of Stella Maris, Our Lady of the Sea. AoS volunteers visit seafarers and offer them support. “I have seen you at work,” he said. “It is a service that has touched and continues to touch the hearts of so many.”

Catholic churches across South East Wales and Herefordshire this week opened their doors for Year of Mercy pilgrims. The Archbishop of Cardiff, George Stack, asked that Holy Doors be opened in Merthyr Tydfil, Bridgend and Newport, as well as at Cardiff’s St David’s Cathedral and Belmont Abbey in Hereford. He encouraged Catholics across the archdiocese to invite a friend or colleague to one of the many meals being served to offer non-Christians a chance to experience church. Guests had the option of passing through the Holy Door and taking part in a simple prayer service declaring God’s loving mercy for them. Other diocesan initiatives to make Holy Doors more accessible include a portable Holy Door visiting churches in North Wales.

Vincentian charity Depaul UK has launched a new homelessness service in Sheffield. Nightstop South Yorkshire will provide young people sleeping rough with emergency accommodation, thanks to a team of volunteers who will help support the service. Nightstop is being funded by a £200,000 award from the People’s Postcode Lottery – a charity subscription lottery open to people across Britain. Depaul UK chief executive, Martin Houghton-Brown, said: “Through this new Nightstop service, we will be tackling all types of homelessness and working to bring families back together where it is safe to do so. We will work with our fantastic partners in the voluntary sector here in Sheffield, with children and young people’s services, with housing services and with young people themselves.”

Britain’s former Minister for Faith, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi (above), has called on the Prime Minister to reinstate the role after it was dropped under David Cameron’s premiership.

Baroness Warsi praised Theresa May as “somebody of faith … somebody who understands faith” but said that religion was still largely misunderstood within government circles.

Speaking at an event to discuss how to develop a more English brand of Islam, Baroness Warsi revealed that during her time as Minister for Faith, colleagues referred to the role as the “minister for fairies, goblins and imaginary friends”.

Sexuality group
The Church of England has established a new body to explore topics around sexuality. The Bishops’ Reflection Group on Human Sexuality will be led by the Bishop of Norwich, Graham James. The announcement followed a meeting of senior clergy in Oxford last week.

“Whilst the process of episcopal discernment is in the public domain the bishops agreed that the contents of their discussion should not be shared in public during the process so as to enable those discussions to be conducted freely and in a spirit of full collegiality,” it said in a statement.

Walsingham appeal
The Catholic bishops of England and Wales have asked all parishes to hold a second collection this weekend to support England’s National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. The Rector, Mgr John Armitage, told The Tablet that the fundraising target is £10m-£12m. So far £600,000 has been raised, and £4m pledged from a trust fund. The eleventh-century shrine is upgrading buildings and constructing new facilities to cater for elderly and disabled pilgrims after Pope Francis designated it a minor basilica. Saturday is the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham.
 
Morgan defends gay marriage
The outgoing Anglican Archbishop of Wales, Barry Morgan, has used his final address as head of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales to argue that the Bible does not condemn gay marriage. In a speech at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Lampeter, Ceredigion, Dr Morgan said that it “would not do” to quote texts from the Bible without reference to their contexts.

“In spite of all the passages in favour of slavery … you realise it is about freedom from all that diminishes and dehumanises people,” he said. “No Christian I hope would today argue that slavery is good, but for 19 centuries the Church accepted it and defended it.”

Dr Morgan, who is to retire in January 2017, went on to say: “Christians have discovered that most people flourish best when this living for others finds its focus in a commitment to one other person: when a couple make a lifelong commitment within which sex properly belongs. Those of us who were or are married have found that to be the case. Why would we want to deny such a possibility for those who are attracted to their own gender?”

Britain’s new ambassador to the Holy See presented her credentials to Pope Francis this week, meaning she can now officially begin her work representing the UK. Sally Axworthy (above) handed over the documents showing she can speak for the Government in a formal ceremony on Monday in the state rooms of the Apostolic Palace, where the Pope meets heads of state. Ambassador Axworthy was the first woman to wear a specially designed uniform for female ambassadors. The Holy See is one of the few postings where envoys are expected to wear full diplomatic dress for formal occasions.

Catholic teachers pledge
Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney has pledged his Government’s support to help solve the shortage of Catholic teachers. Mr Swinney, who is also the Education Secretary, was speaking at the Association of  Catholic Primary Head Teachers in Scotland (CHAPS) in St Andrews. Archbishop Philip Tartaglia told the meeting that there would soon be an additional 350 teachers qualified in religious education.