Dame Heather Steel to lead inquiries in
Jersey
THE investigation into a safeguarding complaint in Jersey,
announced by the Bishop of Winchester in March, will be led by Dame
Heather Steel. Dame Heather, a former judge of the Court of Appeal
in Jersey, will revisit the review of the complaint led by Jan
Korris (News, 15 March).
She will make recommendations about whether disciplinary complaints
should be brought against any member of the clergy.
Qatada seeks visit from Welby
THE radical cleric Abu Qatada has written to the Archbishop of
Canterbury, requesting a meeting at Belmarsh Prison, where he is
held. It is understood that Lambeth Palace has declined the
invitation, and suggested that Mr Qatada should contact the prison
chaplain. Mr Qatada has never been charged with an offence in the
UK, but faces terrorism charges in Jordan.
Plea for release from Guantanamo
THE Foreign Secretary, William Hague, should make a public plea
for the return of the last British resident detained in Guantanamo
Bay, Christians Against Torture has said. The detainee, Shaker
Aamer, has been held at the US camp in Cuba for more than 11 years,
despite being cleared for release six years ago. This month, a
Foreign Office spokesperson said that the return of Mr Aamer to the
UK was "a matter of urgency".
URC General Assembly Moderator inducted
JOHN ELLIS was inducted as one of the two Moderators of the
General Assembly of the United Reformed Church on Wednesday. Mr
Ellis, who has been the URC's treasurer since 2007, succeeds Val
Morrison, who became a Moderator in July 2010. Mr Ellis will serve
until July 2016.
Faith leaders attend summit on organ donation
HE first ever Faith and Organ Donation Summit, which took place
in London last week, was addressed by a medical-ethics adviser for
the Archbishops' Council, Dr Brendan McCarthy. "The core message
that we want to get to parishioners is to have the conversation
with friends and family," he said. "Signing the organ-donor
register isn't enough. The thing that has to change is the consent
rates, and these will only change if friends and family know your
wishes."