Irish rector apologises for Church on Pride walks
THE Rector Coalisland, Stewartstown and Ballyclog in the Church of Ireland, the Revd Andrew Rawding, has been attending Pride walks in Belfast, Foyle, and Newry with a placard that declares: “We are sorry for how the church has mistreated LGBTQI+ people”. He said this week: “We don’t yet have equality here in terms of same-sex marriage provision. The self-harm, suicide rates, rejection, and isolation would be high, because of the proactive political and religious opposition from some of the mainstream parties and churches.”
Glasgow is to host UN climate summit
THE 26th UN Climate Summit is to take place in Glasgow, it was announced this week. It will mark five years since the signing of the landmark Paris Agreement on curbing carbon emissions. The news was welcomed by Christian Aid’s Global Climate Lead, Dr Kat Kramer. “For it to be a success, the UK needs to walk the talk and increase its own near-term targets reducing its emissions rapidly and radically,” she said.
‘Transformational’ grant to Leicester Cathedral
PLUMB IMAGESThe CEO of Leicester City FC, Susan Whelan, is joined by a former City player, Steve Walsh, and the Dean of Leicester at the King Power stadium on 29 July. See gallery for more UK picture stories
A GRANT of £800,000 has been made to Leicester Cathedral by the charitable foundation of the Leicester City FC chairman who died in a helicoptor crash last year, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (News, 19 October 2018). The Dean of Leicester, the Very Revd David Monteith, described it as a “transformational gift”. It will go towards the £11.3-million project Leicester Cathedral Revealed, which is to include the opening of a new Heritage Learning Centre across four levels, as well as repairs and renovations to the cathedral fabric (News, 8 June 2018).
Norwich-Walsingham pilgrim route wins funding
THE Walsingham Way Project, which seeks to promote a centuries-old pilgrimage route between Norwich Cathedral and the shrine village of Little Walsingham, in Norfolk, has received £31,000 from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The project is led by Norwich Cathedral. Its Librarian, Canon Peter Doll, said this week that the Way was “the first of a projected network of pathways which will give locals and visitors alike an opportunity to immerse themselves in the gentle beauty of the Norfolk countryside and to experience the spirituality and peace of the contemporary Anglican and Roman Catholic Shrines of Our Lady of Walsingham.” It is hoped that the route will be open to the public in early 2020.
Clarification: the open letter from the Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Revd John McDowell, to the Prime Minister (News, 6 September) was first published online by The Daily Telegraph on 26 July.