YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT UP - Religion in the News

Roman Catholic Priest Accused of Bomb Atrocity (24Aug10): A Police Ombudsman Al Hutchinson's report on a 1972 bombings in Claudy, Northern Ireland, said police believed Father James Chesney was director of operations for the south Derry IRA and was involved in the planning of the Claudy attack.  Nine people were killed after three no-warning bombs exploded in the small County Londonderry village on 31 July 1972. The Ombudsman found that talks between the Catholic Church, the police and the government led to a priest suspected of involvement in the attack being moved to the Irish Republic. No action was ever taken against Father James Chesney, who died in 1980. No paramilitary group has ever claimed responsibility for the attack, and no-one has been convicted of it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11077333

Act of God (16Jun10): A giant statue of Jesus outside a church in Ohio in the US has been destroyed by lightning. The glass fibre and plastic foam sculpture caught fire and burned to the ground in what insurance companies have described as an act of God. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/us_and_canada/10331358.stm 

Foreign Office apologises for Pope 'condom' memo (25Apr10): The Foreign Office has apologised for a "foolish" document which suggested the Pope's visit to the UK could be marked by the launch of "Benedict" condoms. Entitled "The ideal visit would see...", it said that the Pope could be invited to open an abortion clinic and bless a gay marriage during September's visit. The Foreign Office stressed the paper, which resulted from a "brainstorm" on the visit, did not reflect its views. The junior civil servant responsible had been put on other duties, the Foreign Office said. Foreign Secretary David Miliband is said to have been "appalled" by the incident. The UK's ambassador to the Vatican, Francis Campbell, has met senior officials of the Holy See to express regret on behalf of the government.

The paper was attached as one of three "background documents" to a memo dated 5 March 2010 inviting officials in Whitehall and Downing Street to attend a meeting to discuss themes for the papal visit. It suggested Benedict XVI could show his hard line on the sensitive issue of child abuse allegations against Roman Catholic priests by "sacking dodgy bishops" and launching a helpline for abused children. The document went on to propose the Pope could apologise for the Spanish Armada or sing a song with the Queen for charity. A Foreign Office spokesman said the department was "deeply sorry" for any offence the document had caused. "This is clearly a foolish document that does not in any way reflect UK government or Foreign Office policy or views. Many of the ideas in the document are clearly ill-judged, naive and disrespectful," he said.

Earlier this year the Pope announced 2010 would see the first papal visit to the UK since John Paul II's visit in 1982. Pope Benedict XVI's visit will take place from 16 to 19 September, during which time he is expected to visit Birmingham, as part of the planned beatification of Cardinal John Newman, and Scotland.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8642404.stm
 

Holocaust-denying bishop fined by German court  (16Apr10): A renegade British bishop, Richard Williamson,  has been fined 10,000 euros (£8,750) for denying the Holocaust in a case that has acutely embarrassed the Vatican. Denying that the Holocaust took place, or questioning key elements, is illegal in Germany. Williamson, 70, was convicted by the court in the southern German city of Regensburg of inciting racial hatred for stating in a TV interview aired in January 2009 that only "200,000 to 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps". He also denied the Nazis had used gas chambers. The bishop acknowledged the offending comments in a statement read in court.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8625543.stm

Army to remove replica mosques from firing range (8 Apr 10):  The Ministry of Defence has agreed to take down replica mosques which were being used by the British Army on a North Yorkshire firing range.A Muslim group had demanded the removal of the structures at Catterick and accused the Army of reinforcing negative perceptions of Muslims. An Army spokesperson apologised and said its was "in the process of removing the offending structures". There were seven of the green-domed buildings on the Bellerby range.

The Bradford Council for Mosques (BCM) said it was particularly angry as it had been assisting the army in its efforts to recruit more Muslims. The Army spokesperson added: "It was never our intention for these generic structures to look like or replicate mosques, only to provide a setting similar to operational environments in which our personnel could train.

"We apologise for any offence that we may have caused. We are working with representatives from the Muslim community and are in the process of removing the offending structures."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/8609650.stm

Priest Kept On After Losing his Faith (9 Mar 10): In the Netherlands a priest who doesn't believe in God has kept his job all the same.  The Dutch Protestant Church began an investigation when cleric, Klaas Hendrikse wrote a book entitled 'Believing In A God Who Does Not Exist'. Mr Hendrikse explained "to me God is not a being, but a word for what can occur between people".  Instead of dismissing him as a cleric, the regional church assembly in Zierikzee (SW Holland), is reported to have decided that Mr Hendrikse's views were not fundamentally different from other liberal theologians in the Protestant Church. 

And Mr Hendrikse does not appear to be alone. Research by Professor Hijme Stoffels suggests that one in every six clergy no longer believe in God "in a traditional way". He notes that scepticism is, if anything, more common among older priests, because in the past theology was taught only in an orthodox way. Now the students who are more doubtful can study religious studies rather than theology, and are, he says, less likely to end up as clergy.

A study among clergy of the Church of England carried out by researchers from Bangor University five years ago also found widespread doubt. Although almost all Anglican clergy on the whole believed in the existence of God, a third doubted it. Eight out of 10 believed in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and two thirds in the Virgin Birth.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8555953.stm

Women Should Honour & Obey (13 Feb 10): A vicar has caused outrage among his congregation after urging women to "be silent" and "submit" to their husbands. Angus MacLeay, rector of St Nicholas Church in Sevenoaks, Kent, made the comments, which some parishioners thought were more in keeping with a sermon from the dark ages than the modern Church of England, in a leaflet entitled "The Role of Women in the Local Church". Using Bible references to justify his comments, he wrote: "Wives are to submit to their husbands in everything in recognition of the fact that husbands are head of the family as Christ is head of the church. "This is the way God has ordered their relationships with each other." In another passage, he continued: "It would seem that women should remain silent … if questions could legitimately be answered by their husbands." But MacLeay's words were too difficult to swallow for the dozens of women who cancelled direct debit subscriptions to the Anglican church and vowed not to return... "No wonder the church is losing touch if this is the kind of gobbledegook they want us to believe. I will not be going back to that church and will have to seriously consider my faith if this is the nonsense they are spouting now," she said. [Article by Jo Adetunji in the Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/13/be-silent-sevenoaks-vicar-tells-women]

'Thou Shalt Shoplift' says Priest (22 Dec 09) A priest from North Yorkshire has advised his congregation to shoplift if they find themselves in hard times. Father Tim Jones, the parish priest of St Lawrence and St Hilda in York, said people should steal from big chains rather than small businesses. He said society's attitude to those in need "leaves some people little option but crime". However the Archdeacon of York said: "The Church of England does not advise anyone to shoplift". North Yorkshire Police described the sermon as "highly irresponsible". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/8425420.stm

Unholy Billboard Row (17 Dec 09) An unholy row has broken out in New Zealand over a church billboard aimed at "challenging stereotypes" about the birth of Jesus Christ. A dejected-looking Joseph lies in bed next to Mary under the caption, "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow". St Matthew-in-the-City Church in Auckland, which erected the billboard, said it had intended to provoke debate. But the Catholic Church, among others, has condemned it as "inappropriate" and "disrespectful". Within hours of its unveiling, the billboard had been defaced with brown paint. The church's vicar, Archdeacon Glynn Cardy, said the aim of the billboard had been to lampoon the literal interpretation of the Christmas conception story... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8417963.stm

Bishop Praises Taliban (14 Dec 09) The new bishop to the armed forces, the Right Reverend Dr Stephen Venner, has apologised over comments he made about how the Taliban could be admired for their "conviction to their faith". He said his words had been taken out of context by the Daily Telegraph (where he was first reported). Bishop Venner told the paper the insurgents could "perhaps be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to each other". But he later told the BBC: "I'm not trying to support the Taliban. At the moment what they are doing is evil." He said he would be "deeply grieved" if anyone had taken offence and hoped he had not jeopardised his job. In his interview the Anglican bishop said the attitude taken towards the Taliban had been "too simplistic"... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8411574.stm

 

However, after discussions between the police, the Northern Ireland Office and the Catholic Church it was decided not to pursue Fr Chesney and he was moved to a parish across the border in County Donegal