Scottish Religious hate crime up; Westminster Abbey series on TV; Women bishops – Lord Carey; War Cry goes digital
1. – Religious hate crime in Scotland up a quarter
Scottish Government figures showed there were 876 offences reported with a religious aggravation in 2011/12, a rise of 26 per cent compared to the previous year.
[…] Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, President of the Bishops Conference of Scotland said he was “saddened” by the figures and the real scourge was not sectarianism but anti-Catholicism.
“This is regrettable because popular culture is inventing all kinds of new reasons to marginalise and hate Catholics,” he said.
[…] The victims in slightly more than half of all cases were police officers. Verbal or physical abuse was directed at Roman Catholics in 58 per cent of attacks, while 40 per cent of victims were Protestant.
There were 19 attacks on Islam and 14 on Judaism. However, a much higher proportion of cases with Muslim victims (26 per cent) involved physical assault compared to Catholics (three per cent) or Protestants (five per cent).
Ms Cunningham said: “These figures show that as well as tough enforcement, we need to tackle the root causes of religious prejudice that sadly is all too prevalent in parts of Scottish society. That is why we are carrying out a range of actions to eradicate sectarianism.”
2. – Westminster Abbey documentary to be screened on BBC2
BBC Two is to screen a major three-part documentary series showing life behind the scenes at Westminster Abbey. Programme-makers have spent a year filming at the Abbey for the three part series, which begins at 9pm on Friday 7 December and continues weekly.
Each hour-long episode will focus on aspects of the Abbey’s daily life, including all major services and the preparations made for them. Abbey staff have been interviewed about their work, and the Dean and Chapter explain their role.
Westminster Abbey is an internationally iconic building, and welcomes over one million visitors every year who want to explore this wonderful 700-year-old building. Thousands more come to worship at daily services.
This is not the first time that the Abbey has been the subject of a television series. A three-part documentary called The Abbey was broadcast by the BBC in 1995. In 2010, Channel Four explored the story of the Abbey’s mosaic floor, the Cosmati pavement, being uncovered for the first time in 100 years.
3. – No to women bishops? It’s high time the Church of England was taught a lesson
The Observer – There can be little rest this Christmas for literalists who have just seen off the Church of England’s attempt to defy the women-suppressing message of the scriptures. In his new Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, a prequel to two other books …
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/25/women-bishops-church-of-england
4. – Lord Carey calls for Church of England to push through introduction of women …
Telegraph.co.uk – The measure ran aground because it was rejected by the laity – lay representatives elected by deanery synods. Mrs Miller said: “Obviously, it’s for the Church of England to run its own procedures and processes, but I hope that they have heard, loud and …
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9700267/Lord-Carey-calls-for-Church-of-England-to-push-through-introduction-of-women-bishops.html
5. – Salvation Army’s War Cry goes digital
The Salvation Army’s iconic War Cry newspaper wents on sale in digital format for the first time on Saturday past.
The weekly has been sold in Salvation Army churches, as well as in pubs and clubs since 1879.
The War Cry had its humble beginnings on a small printing press in The Salvation Army’s Whitechapel headquarters and 1,400 copies were sold on the streets of London for a mere halfpenny.
Today, around 45,000 copies of the newspaper sell each week in the UK and it is hoped that the ever popular newspaper will reach even more people with the digital edition.
The app is available as a free download for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets.