Week Commencing 24th May 2021

27th May

The Guardian reports that the first stone has been laid in the construction of a multi-faith worship centre in Berlin. Muslims, Jews, and Christians are to be united for worship under one roof in a groundbreaking project called ‘House of One’.

26th May

Religion News Service presents a study that shows more churches closing than opening. A new study from Lifeway Research suggests more Protestant churches closed in 2019 than opened — continuing a decades-long congregational slide that is only expected to accelerate.

25th May

On the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, Religion News Service reports that clergy were often front and centre in protests, which sparked a racial reckoning within churches, synagogues, and mosques. Faith leaders’ reflect on how much has changed following the Black Lives Matter protests, and how much still needs to be done.

The Guardian Reports that a long-awaited review into Islamophobia within the Conservative party has been condemned as a whitewash by Muslim Tories despite it including criticism of the language used by Boris Johnson and the mayoral campaign run by Zac Goldsmith for insensitivity. “If anything it acts as an illustration of an attitude inclined to view Islamophobia as an irritant best pushed to one side, when not being utilised in promoting culture wars, rather than as a serious, systemic issue which needs to be rooted out.”

24th May

The Guardian reports that Pope Francis has challenged Vatican media employees to justify their continued work, as concerns are raised regarding the cost of funding media offices.