News Briefing: from Britain and Ireland

The Home Office has announced that churches, mosques, gurdwaras and temples can apply for the second round of funding under the Government’s £2.4m Places of Worship Security Funding Scheme.

The money is available to pay for security measures such as CCTV, alarms, external lighting and perimeter fencing: the closing date for applications is 29 May. Places of worship must submit evidence that they are vulnerable to a hate crime attack or have experienced such an attack within the last two years in order to apply.

Under the first round of the scheme, announced last July, 45 churches, 12 mosques, one Hindu temple and one gurdwara received a total of £405,000 to help fund new security measures.

Benefit cuts warning
Caritas, the Catholic Church’s social action network, has warned that changes to the child tax credits scheme, which come into effect this week, will add to the pressures on parents in low-income households and increase the likelihood of family breakdown.

Under the new measures, claimants who have a third or subsequent child after 6 April will no longer receive a payment for that child – limiting future tax credits to two children. The same will apply to people claiming universal credit. The changes mean that thousands of families on average will be £2,500 worse off than under the old system, according to Phil McCarthy, CEO of Caritas. He has called on the Government to review the effects of the policy over the coming year.


The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has launched a “Mega Youth Poll” ahead of next year’s synod on youth. The online “Youth Poll on Life, Faith and Vocational Discernment” seeks answers from 13-29 year-olds, whatever their religious beliefs. The survey, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete, includes questions such as, “What is life like for you?”, “How close do you feel to Jesus?” and “How much do you think the Catholic Church is interested in your life?” The responses will be used in a report that will be sent to the Vatican ahead of the next Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2018, which will focus on young people, faith and vocations. To complete the survey, which closes on 5 June 2017, go to synod2018@cbcew.org.uk


Life’s £250,000 grant criticised
A £250,000 Government grant to the anti-abortion charity, Life, has been criticised by some MPs and campaign groups. The money came from a tax raised on sanitary products, the so-called tampon tax. The Government said the latest £12m of funding was now being distributed to 70 charities in the UK. Life said it would use the grant to develop its services and support a project for homeless pregnant women in London. Labour MP Paula Sherriff, the shadow minister for women and equalities, said it was “bitterly ironic” to many women to be taxed for their biology “only for the Government to hand over that money to organisations that don’t even believe we should have control over our own bodies”.


Politicians in the Scottish Parliament have put aside their political differences to call for the canonisation of Blessed Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador who was assassinated while saying Mass on 24 March 1980. The motion was put forward by Labour MSP Neil Findlay, supported by some SNP and Green members, on the 37th anniversary of the archbishop’s death. The archbishop’s voice “should inspire people of all faiths and none”, Mr Findlay said.

The motion expressed a belief that “ the example of [Archbishop Romero’s] life and work has motivated people across the world” and that “the much prayed and hoped for canonisation of this spiritual and courageous man would bring his example to people everywhere”.

Audience with Francis
The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols (above), and four imams were due to have an audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday, in a meeting that the Cardinal says will help build interfaith relations. The trip is long planned and is not related to the terror attack in Westminster on 22 March. “Religious leaders want and are committed to building relations,” Cardinal Nichols told the Italian religious news service, SIR. “The dialogue between people who believe in God creates a common space … it is a duty for religious leaders to speak to one another, meet, explore common solutions together, address the questions of religious belief that beget extremism and violence,” he said.
(See www.thetablet.co.uk)


Pope Francis on Tuesday urged the Prince of Wales to be a “man of peace” during their first meeting in the Vatican.

Accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles spent 27 minutes with Francis in one of the private rooms adjoining the Paul VI hall, where the prince gave the Pope a straw basket hamper of produce from his estate in Highgrove, Gloucestershire, suggesting it could be given to the poor and homeless. In return, Francis gave Charles a copy of his environmental encyclical, Laudato si’, and apostolic letters, Amoris Laetitia and Evangelii Gaudium. He presented these texts along with a bronze olive branch.