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UK news

by
01 November 2013

SHUTTERSTOCK

Establishment: Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court 

Establishment: Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court 

'Our courts are not Christian' judge says

COURTS in the UK are not Christian, Sir James Munby, a senior judge and President of the Family Division, told the Law Society on Tuesday. "Although historically this country is part of the Christian West and, although it has an Established Church which is Christian, we sit as secular judges serving a multicultural community of many faiths, sworn to do justice 'to all manner of people'," he said.

On Wednesday, Ian Jones, a barrister at Holbrook Chambers, Leicester, said: "There is no such thing as a morally neutral system of law. Creating or acquiescing in a system in which religion is marginalised is itself a 'moral' position. And if the practices of different religions are to get 'equal respect' so long as they are not 'immoral' or 'pernicious', how is that judgement to be made by any society without an underlying shared value system?"

McCulloch honoured for anti-homophobia work

The Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, a former Bishop of Manchester, was awarded the Alan Turing Award for this "significant contributions towards the fight against homophobia", by the Lesbian and Gay Foundation this month. 

Court of Appeal hears Sunday-working appeal

A CARE-WORKER from South London who resigned from her post after being forced to work on Sundays took her case to the Court of Appeal last wek, writes Gavin Drake. The worker, Celestina Mba, was challenging earlier rulings that she was not entitled to protection because sabbath rest was not a "core" belief shared by other Christians ( News, 11 January).

Welby's 2063 church

THE Church in 2063, as envisioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury last week, would be led by "Archbishop Jo", have evangelism as its top priority, and see churches planted in deprived areas. The Archbishop was speaking at HOPE 2014, a gathering of 100 Christian leaders at Lambeth Palace on Thursday of last week. He wanted to see a "risk-taking Church" that showed that "there was no part of the world that we were not prepared to go."

Representative named

The last of the eight women clergy elected to be representatives to attend the House of Bishops has been named. The Dean of Women in Ministry in the diocese of Chester, the Revd Libby Lane, will represent the North-West region. The other seven were named last month. The eight will take up their positions on 1 December.

 

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