Holy oil for King Charles III’s coronation consecrated in Jerusalem
London, UKReuters The sacred oil which will be used to anoint King Charles III at his coronation in May has been consecrated in Jerusalem, reflecting the British monarch’s links to the Holy Land, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. His Beatitude Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, and the city’s Anglican Archbishop Hosam Naoum […]
Some Anglican bishops reject leader Welby over gay marriage
London, UKAP Several Anglican bishops from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific said Monday that they no longer recognize Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby as their leader, deepening a rift within the global Anglican Communion over gay marriage. Some bishops who belong to the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches said they no longer consider Welby […]
Church of England allows blessings for same-sex couples
London, UKAP The Church of England’s national assembly on Thursday voted to let priests bless same-sex marriages and civil partnerships, while continuing to ban church weddings for the same couples. Bishops proposed the compromise measure after five years of discussions about the church’s position on sexuality. It was approved by the church’s General Synod, which […]
Christian leaders call for prayer, support for Syria-Turkey quake victims
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis offered his prayers for the thousands of victims of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey on Wednesday and called on the international community to continue to support rescue and recovery efforts. Pope Francis holds the weekly general audience at the Vatican, on 8th February, 2023. PICTURE: Reuters/Remo Casilli “I am […]
Pope, Anglican, Presbyterian leaders denounce anti-gay laws
Aboard the papal planeAP Pope Francis, the head of the Anglican Communion and top Presbyterian minister together denounced the criminalisation of homosexuality on Sunday and said gay people should be welcomed by their churches. The three Christian leaders spoke out on LGBTQ rights during an unprecedented joint airborne news conference returning home from South Sudan, […]
South Sudan’s late liberation hero Garang in focus during Pope’s visit
Juba, South Sudan Reuters Pope Francis will lead prayers at the mausoleum of South Sudanese liberation hero John Garang on Saturday, an acknowledgement of the importance for the world’s youngest nation of perhaps the one leader who could ensure unity. Garang was killed in a helicopter crash in July, 2005, less than a month after […]
Pope implores South Sudan’s leaders to end bloodshed, recriminations
Juba, South SudanReuters Pope Francis began a visit to South Sudan on Friday with an impassioned plea to its fractious leaders to turn their backs on the violence, ethnic hatred and corruption that have stopped the world’s youngest country from achieving peace and prosperity. South Sudan broke away from Sudan to become independent in 2011 […]
Essay: Pope prepares for South Sudan peace mission – but many people there aren’t ready to forgive
In an article first published on The Conversation, NAOMI RUTH PENDLE, who has spent a decade carrying out research on peace and conflict in South Sudan, looks at what we can expect from the visit of Christian leaders…
Church of England sheds light on “shameful” slave trade ties
London, UKAP Three centuries ago, an enslaved person in Virginia wrote to a leader of the Church of England, begging to be released from “this cruel bondage.” There was no reply from the church, which at the time was accumulating a tidy profit from the transatlantic slave trade. The handwritten letter from 1723 – whose […]
Papal visit: Pope Francis to visit two fragile African nations – Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan
PHILIP PULLELLA, of Reuters, reports on this week’s papal visit to two African nations…