Dawn Foster, Tablet columnist, political commentator and author, has died aged 34. Tributes to the young journalist highlighted her bold voice as a working-class, disabled, feminist socialist; the bravery with which she navigated long-term illness; and her Catholic faith.
In one of her last columns for The Guardian, she described coming closer to her faith after spending time with the families of those who died in the Grenfell fire: “Life still remains difficult, as it does for everyone, and certain periods and calamities make each day harder, but a small routine – a universal pattern of chanting, praying, kneeling and sharing bread – has given me a framework to focus on and a regularity in an otherwise chaotic life,” she wrote.
Neighbours of a Vatican-owned apartment on Hans Place in Chelsea, west London, currently advertised for rent for £30,000 a week, have complained to the papal nuncio about the excessive noise from late-night parties at the property. The company managing the Vatican property, which has a swimming pool and garden, has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
The Government’s decision to introduce an amnesty for Troubles-related incidents has been strongly criticised by Church leaders, victims’ families as well as by Northern Ireland’s political parties.
In a statement on Thursday, Archbishop Eamon Martin, Primate of All Ireland, said that the decision to ban all Troubles-related criminal and civil actions, as well as legacy inquests, would be seen by many victims as “a betrayal of trust, which denies justice to them and to their loved ones”. He said it was “disturbing” that victims and survivors, those who have paid “the highest price for the fragile peace we all enjoy today, once more feel marginalised and neglected”.
Archbishop Martin was particularly disappointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “naive comments” in the House of Commons, suggesting that his legacy proposals would allow Northern Ireland to “draw a line under the Troubles”.
The Truth Project, part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, has appealed to abuse survivors to register for its phone and video sessions, which provide a safe and supportive opportunity for survivors to share their accounts and put forward suggestions for change. Registration closes on 31 July.
Freedom award
Benedict Rogers, senior east Asia analyst at Christian Solidarity Worldwide, has been awarded the International Religious Freedom Champion award for his work advocating for religious freedom worldwide. He will receive the award on 15 July at the inaugural IRF Summit in Washington DC.
The Jesuit Refugee Service UK has urged MPs to vote against the Nationality and Borders Bill at its second reading in the House of Commons this week, warning that plans to punish people seeking safety based on how they travelled to the UK could violate international refugee law. Senior policy officer Dr Sophie Cartwright (pictured) said: “At the heart of the bill is an attack on the very principle of asylum.”
The Irish development agency Trócaire marked Nelson Mandela Day last weekend by paying tribute to the Q’eqchi’ indigenous leader Abelino Chub Caal, one of a number of human-rights defenders imprisoned for standing up for the rights of indigenous people in Guatemala.
A member of the Guillermo Toriello Foundation and the Committee for Peasant Unity, which advocates access to land and housing, Abelino has campaigned against the land dispossession suffered by his Q’eqchi’ community. He spent over two years in jail after he was falsely accused of arson and other crimes. However, he was released in April 2019 after being found innocent of all charges. Following his release, he was awarded the Trócaire Romero Award for his defence of human rights.
Covid remembrance chapel
The Archdiocese of Southwark has set aside St Joseph’s Chapel in St George’s Cathedral as a place of prayer to remember those who have died as a result of coronavirus, or who have been affected by the pandemic.
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