Week Commencing 21st June 2021

25th June

The Guardian reports: The Church of England is being urged to drop the title of Reverend as part of an effort to tackle a culture of deference which “have allowed instances of abuse to be covered up”.

24th June

In The Guardian, The Greek Orthodox church has been put on the defensive after a priest was accused of an acid attack that injured 10 people, including seven senior bishops.

23rd June

From The BBC: While some Pentecostal preachers in eastern Nigeria are destroying ancient statues and artefacts they regard as symbols of idolatry one Catholic priest, Paul Obayi, is bucking this trend by collecting and preserving them.

The Guardian reports: Ten people, including seven senior Greek Orthodox bishops have been injured in an acid attack by a priest undergoing disciplinary hearings after being accused of hiding cocaine in his cassock, authorities have alleged.

22nd June

The Guardian reports, the Vatican has urged the Italian government to change a proposed law that would criminalise homophobia over concerns it will infringe upon the Catholic church’s “freedom of thought”.

From Religion News Service: Following the first wave of COVID-19 hitting India last June, some people have begun worshipping female divine forms of the coronavirus.

21st June

In The Guardian, the German army has appointed Zsolt Balla as its first rabbi to serve as religious counsellor in 100 years. Balla underlined what he described as a “historic responsibility” to serve Jewish soldiers.

Religion News Service reports: The Pope has decried the suffering of the people of Myanmar and pleaded that places of worship be treated as neutral places to take shelter.

The Guardian reports that York Minster faces income deficit of £2.3m after visitors and worshippers drop by 74% due to the COVID-19 pandemic.